Who's That Girl
by gleefulmia
Summary: Her life wasn't exactly what you would expect for a 13 year old girl...her life was more of a life you would expect to see in some movie or musical like Annie.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! This is my newest story and it will be a multichapter AU future fic. Other pairings will be involved as well such as Quick, Klaine and possibly Brittana, but Finchel will be the main couple.

Background: 13 year old Danielle has never had a family. At the age of 4 she became a warden of the state of New York after the people she had come to know as her parents were killed in an accident. She was forced into foster care after no one could track down her family. She knew she was supposedly adopted by her parents as a baby after her birth parents had given her away, but no formal adoption papers were ever found and even more shocking was the fact that no record of her birth was ever recorded. Apart from her name, the girl had no real identity. At the age of 12 she got fed up with the crappy conditions of the foster care system and ran away. She soon found herself homeless and living on the streets of New York. What happens when fate decides to step in and she meets someone who just might change her entire world?

Disclaimer: The only things I own are Danielle and the other characters in the shelter and the idea :)

Who's That Girl?

"Get away from me!" Danielle or 'Dani' as she liked to be called spat over her shoulder at the creep attempting to follow her on the way home. Home was not really the word you could use to describe living at a shelter, but it was all she had for the time being. She couldn't wait until the day she could get a job and start fending for herself. She was only 13 so she still had another couple years before that would happen.

"Aww come on girl, don't be like that." The creepy homeless guy yelled after her as he continued to follow her.

"Get lost Harry." Danielle screamed. It wasn't their first meet up and it certainly wouldn't be their last. She finally found the door to the shelter and stepped inside, shivering from the cold outside the building.

Her life wasn't exactly what you would expect for a 13 year old girl. She hadn't gone to school in over a year since she ran away. She didn't have any family, at least that she knew of. She didn't really have any friends if you didn't count the various young children who also lived with their parents at the shelter. Her life was more of a life you would expect to see in some movie or musical like Annie.

"Danielle, what have we said about going out after dark?" Mrs. Holloway asked. She was the closest thing Dani had to a mother for the time being. She was the mother of Rebecca, another little girl at the shelter. The two had lived in an apartment building a few blocks over that caught fire and they lost everything.

"Sorry Mrs. H. There was a free live concert in the park with a bunch of Broadway singers performing. I just had to see for myself." Danielle explained.

"You know that Broadway obssession you have could be a dangerous thing." Mrs Holloway smirked. "But it's good to have dreams, especially in a place like this."

Danielle agreed wholeheartedly. Sometimes her dreams were the only things that got her through the days.

"So did you see anyone exciting perform?" Mrs. Holloway asked.

Dani nodded enthusiastically. "I saw Rachel Berry."

"Rachel who now?" A young boy, who she knew as Jeremy, asked.

Dani rolled her eyes at the kid. She should have expected that ridiculous, in her opinion, question. "Rachel Berry. She's the biggest Broadway star to hit this city in decades. She's amazing. When she sings, you feel it, or at least I do. She's my idol."

"Dani you can't seriously expect to be like her." Lisa, a drug addicted girl only a couple years older than her, said. "You do realize your background, right?"

She nodded sadly. She knew her background, and the fact that she literally had no formal identity besides her name, would pose a threat to her future. Maybe a bigger threat than she admitted sometimes. She tried to remain optimistic about things, but when you had seen and dealt with the things she had, being optimistic was near impossible.

"Lisa, leave her alone." Mrs. Holloway said. "If she wants to have her dreams, leave her be."

Lisa huffed, rolled her eyes at the group and walked back into her own little corner of the room.

"Don't let her get you down Dani. You have some serious talent. Maybe with a little luck and a lot of determination on your part, your dreams will come true."

"Thanks Mrs. H." Danielle hugged the older woman.

Finn Hudson walked slowly from the train station towards the homeless shelter he was going to be volunteering at for the next little while. He was an elementary school music teacher and being around those children made him want to reach out and help other kids who might not have the same advantages the kids in his school had. He had always loved children, hell he had 2 of his own. Somehow he just connected with them.

Walking into the shelter he looked around and just as he suspected, cots with women and children lined the walls. He knew the men's shelter was in a different room of the building. The room was large and surprisingly clean given the circumstances. Sure there were scattered raggedy old toys on the floors, but it wasn't really dirty like he had suspected. In the middle of the room sat a large wooden table where a couple of children were drawing, lost in their own little world. There was also an old piano that he guessed somebody must have donated because it looked to be second hand. As long as it worked, he imagined he would do ok.

He looked around and noticed the women staring at him strangely. He tried to smile reassuringly at them, so they wouldn't think he was some creep. They kept a watchful eye on him as he made his way over to the table and dropped his belongings on to it.

"Who are you Mister?" A little girl about 5 years old asked him.

He bent down to her height and smiled at her. "My name is Finn, I'm here to teach you kids about music. What's your name?"

"Becca." She replied before he became surrounded by a dozen kids of varying ages, all giving him their names. They seemed eager to learn anything he could teach them.

"You should meet Danielle. She loves music." Little Becca told him.

"Which one is she?" Finn asked looking around. He didn't remember that name being mentioned earlier.

"She's over there reading as usual." A little boy replied pointing at a girl who looked to be about 12 or 13 years old, although he was sure she could pass for 10 or 11 if she really wanted to. She was tiny.

"Why didn't she come over?" He asked the kids.

"She's shy around grown-ups...'specially men." Becca explained.

Finn nodded in understanding. Being in a homeless shelter, he could only imagine what that poor kid had been through. She was on a cot in a corner by herself. There were no beds surrounding her. He assumed she didn't have any parents here.

He walked up to her slowly, not wanting to startle her.

"Uh hi, are you Danielle?" He asked.

She put her book down for a minute and looked him up and down. He couldn't help but think she almost looked familiar to him, like he should know her from somewhere. She had long wavy dark hair, huge dark brown eyes and an olive complexion.

"Y...yes." She stammered. "Who are you?"

"My name's Finn Hudson, but you can just call me Finn. I'm volunteering here at the shelter teaching music to the kids, if you want to join in. I hear you like music."

The girl nodded shyly. "I like to sing sometimes." She shrugged like it was no big deal.

"That's great, so why don't you join in?" He asked.

"Aren't you here for the little kids? I'm kind of old for singing Old MacDonald Had A Farm."

Finn smirked. She seemed to have a sense of humor below the anxiety. "That's not really what I was planning on teaching them."

"Really? Because most of them are like 6, so anything else might scar them for life." Danielle joked, knowing how overprotective some of the parents could get.

"I promise that what I will teach them will not be Old MacDonald but it will also not scar them for life. Now will you please join us, Miss Smarty Pants." He said and smiled when he noticed her stifle a giggle. He was surprised she seemed to be coming out of her shell so easily around her. He could feel the tension melting away a little.

"Ok." Danielle agreed. "But do you mind calling me Dani? Danielle is what I get called when people are angry with me."

Finn nodded. "Sure Dani it is then."

It would be easier to call her that anyways. The name Danielle was to closely associated with someone in his past that he had a hard time thinking about nowadays. It hurt too much.

So there's the first chapter. What do you guys think? Should I continue? What's the big secret about Danielle's past? Why do her and Finn have such a connection? Oh and sorry for the lack of Rachel and Finchel interaction, there will be more of that, plus the introduction of their 2 kids in the next chapter. Please review, I would appreciate it alot!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Rach? Babe, I'm home." Finn called through the hallway of his and Rachel's large brownstone home. They bought the house just under 3 years ago after the arrival of their youngest child, their daughter Audrey. Their apartment had been ideal for 3 people, but they soon found it too cramped for a couple with 2 kids. Rachel had always wanted a brownstone home in New York and so when one went on the market, they jumped at the chance.

"Hey honey." Rachel called from the kitchen where he found her cooking supper, with Christopher working on homework (well if you could call coloring a picture for his first grade art class homework) and Audrey scribbling on a blank piece of paper. "How was volunteering at the shelter?"

"Awesome!" He exclaimed. "There's some seriously talented kids down there, it's just too bad about their circumstances."

Rachel gave him a sympathetic smile and nodded in understanding. It pained her that young children like that lacked the very same privileges her kids had. It was why she wanted to start a foundation for kids like that to live out their dreams, or simply learn to appreciate music in some form.

"There's this one girl, Dani is her name, she's 13 years old and she's got one of the most beautiful voices I've heard out of a kid that young. She actually kind of reminds me of you."

Rachel looked intrigued at this. "Really? She's that good?"

Finn nodded. "Yeah if I didn't know any better, I'd swear she was an adult singing, her voice is just that developed."

"Why is she at the shelter then? Why isn't she in school like most kids her age?" Rachel questioned.

Finn sighed. He had been talking to some other people at the shelter, trying to get a glimpse into Dani's story, but most people didn't know much about her. "All I know is that she's a runaway and she doesn't have any parents."

Rachel's heart immediately broke for the girl who she didn't even know. "That poor child." She looked to her own kids at the table coloring and tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"I wish there was some way to help her. Just looking her in the eyes, you can tell she's been through hell. She's really sweet though, and so good with the younger kids."

Rachel smiled at him. "Well I'm sure meeting and getting to know you will help her a lot. From the sounds of it, you really connected with her."

Finn had to smile at that. "You know I think I really did. There's just something about her that seems so familiar to me, and I don't even know why."

"Maybe it's her name...Dani, that has to be short for something."

"Yeah, her real name is Danielle. Kind of makes me think about _her." _Finn said sadly.

Rachel slowly nodded in understanding as she reached out to grab his hand. "I know." She whispered. "Believe me I know."

"She would have been right around Dani's age you know by now. She'd probably be taking ballet lessons, tap lessons, voice lessons..." Finn looked towards the ground and had to force a tear not to leave his eye.

"Maybe she would have been into Broadway like me." Rachel said.

"No I know she would have been into Broadway. She would have been just like you." Finn smiled. "Just like Auds is just like you." He pointed towards their daughter.

"Or maybe she would have been into sports like her Daddy." Rachel said with a smirk on her face. "You never know. What I do know is she would have been Daddy's little girl."

Finn had to laugh at that. "I would hope so."

Rachel suddenly got quiet again, something that always happened when she thought of _her. _Her being their oldest daughter Daniella Grace Hudson. The daughter they rarely talked of anymore because of the pain it brought. She had been taken from them far to young.

"You know, we never really got to meet her. We only heard her cry before the nurses whisked her away." Rachel could remember that day like it was yesterday.

_"What's going on? What's wrong with my baby?" 20 year old Rachel cried as she saw doctors and nurses swarming the bed where her newborn daughter laid. _

_"Miss. Berry, please calm down. This stress isn't good for your recovery." One of the nurses explained as she tried to calm the woman._

_"I can't calm down, what's wrong with her?" Rachel screamed again. "Finn, do something!"_

_Finn tried to look to see what the nurses were doing, but the only thing he could make out from his baby was a head of dark brown hair._

_"Mr. Hudson, please the doctors need room to work."_

_"What's the matter with our daughter? One minute she's crying, the next...this." Finn points out._

_One of the doctors finally turned around. "I'm sorry Miss. Berry, Mr. Hudson, but I'm afraid I have to take your baby to the neonatal clinic stat. She's having some complications."_

_"What!" Rachel exclaimed horrified. "You said she would be perfectly healthy."_

_"I'm sorry, sometimes these types of complications are unforseen." The doctor replied. The doctors and 2 nurses then moved the infant quickly out of the room._

_An hour later and a hysterical Rachel was still sobbing into Finn's chest. The combination of fear for her daughter and hormones was making her especially difficult to handle. The nurses wanted to give her a sedative, but Rachel refused._

_"I just want to see my baby." She kept pleading with them, only to have them offer her sympathetic looks. She knew they must have known something, but were refusing to tell her._

_Finally the doctor entered the room with a grim expression on his face. Rachel and Finn immediately braced themselves for the worst._

_"I'm very sorry Mr. and Mrs. Hudson, but your daughter didn't make it. There were too many complications, she had breathing difficulties and we lost her. I'm so sorry for your loss."_

_The only sound that could be heard after absorbing the shock of it all was Rachel's scream. "Nooooooo" She cried. "I want to see her, I want my baby!"_

_Finn grabbed her around the waist and pulled her once again to his chest as he held her, tears streaming out of his own eyes. He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream, but he had to be strong for her. All the months of planning for their baby girl, all the excitement at getting to meet her, vanished in the matter of a few minutes._

_"Doctor can we please see her, at least to say goodbye?" Finn asked._

_He nodded in understanding. "Of course. I will have the nurse bring her in."_

_10 minutes later a nurse entered the room pushing a tiny bed with a tiny little girl in a pink hat and white blanket, laying perfectly still. Her once wailing cries, now completely quiet. _

_"Here she is." The nurse said sadly._

_They both looked at their daughter and stroked her cheek. They both knew they had to say goodbye to her, they just didn't know how._

_"She needs a name." Finn said to his grieving girlfriend._

_Rachel nodded. "I was thinking, what about Daniella. I know your favorite boys name, besides Christopher is Daniel and I kind of like the way it goes with the name Hudson."_

_Finn smiled softly. "I love it Daniella Hudson. Could her middle name maybe be Grace, after my Mom's middle name?"_

_Rachel smiled. "I think that's perfect. Daniella Grace Hudson."_

_"A perfect name for a perfect baby." Finn said. "I only wish we got to hold onto her."_

_"I can't believe she's gone." Rachel cried. "I see her right here and yet I know she can't hear or see me, she doesn't know I'm her Mommy, that your her Daddy and she never will." She sobbed into Finn's shoulder._

_"I know baby, it's so hard, but we're going to get through this. We need to, for our daughter. We need to remember all that she's given us in only the short time she's been in our lives. She's given us so much love."_

_"I know." Rachel bent over and picked the tiny body up in her arms, rocking her back and forth softly. "Hi Daniella. I'm your Mommy, I know you can't hear me or understand me, but I just wanted you to know that for the short time you were in my life, you gave me all the love in the world. I love you baby girl." Rachel whispered to her before kissing her cold cheek and handing her over to Finn._

_"Hi Dani-girl." Finn smiled at the nickname that just kind of rolled of his tongue. "I love you so much honey, nothing will ever change that. Just because your not here now doesn't mean you haven't changed me or your mom's lives. You're our precious angel now sweetie, and we know you'll watch over us and any brothers and sisters you may have. We love you Angel." He gave her butterfly kisses all over her face like he would have done if she was alive and then softly laid her back in the bed as he once again grabbed Rachel in his arms and rocked her back and forth as she cried._

"She was only with us for a short time, but you were right, she changed our lives." Rachel smiled slightly. "And maybe now it's time we changed someone elses life."

"What do you mean?" Finn asked curiously.

"I mean, Finn, I want you to find out anything you can about this Danielle girl you met. We are going to help make her dreams come true. If not for us, or for her, then maybe in honor of our little girl."

Finn smiled. Sometimes he didn't know what he did to deserve Rachel as his wife. She had the biggest heart of anyone he'd ever known. He was amazed by her. "I think that's the best idea you've ever had." He said as he grabbed her and brought her lips to his as he lifted her off the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi guys! Holy crow, I am honestly amazed by the response to this story. The idea just kind of popped into my head and I decided to run with it. Thank you all soooooooo much for the reviews. They mean a lot to me. Sorry it took me a few days to post this, but I've been crazy busy with university (midterms and all ;) ). Anyhow, here is chapter 3.

Chapter 3

Finn walked into the shelter again later that week to find it in pretty much the same condition it was in during his previous visit. He looked around to see if he could spot the girl he was looking for, but she didn't seem to be around. He looked over to see a middle-aged woman scolding a little boy. He recognized her from the other night so he decided to walk over to her.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a young girl about 13 years old. She's got long brown hair and brown eyes, she's about this tall." He gestured to about midway up his chest.

"You're lookin' for Dani, right?" The woman inquired and Finn nodded. "She's out."

"What do you mean?" Finn asked. He didn't like the sounds of that. She's only 13 and the streets of New York were full of crazies.

"She goes out about this time everyday. She takes the bus over to the Broadway area and wanders around for awhile before coming back here. She's got a bit of a Broadway obssession." The woman rolled her eyes, and Finn had to bite back a comment on that. "Why're you so interested in her anyways?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I just wondered why a girl that young is here all by herself. Surely there must be someone looking for her."

The woman shook her head. "I doubt it. Dani's been here for months, ain't no one has ever come lookin' for her."

"No one?" Finn asked shocked. How could no one care about the young girl's whereabouts? If she were his daughter, he would want to know where she was at all times.

"No one. She got no parents, she ranaway from some foster home a long time ago and never went back. I think the system kind of gave up with her. Somethin' tells me she was a frequent runaway."

"Poor kid." Finn said sadly. "Is there anything else you can tell me about her?"

"Well we're not really s'posed to divulge this kind of information, but since I think you want to help Dani, I'll tell ya. You might want to sit down because what I tell ya is hard to hear."

"Ok." Finn said as he took a seat on the edge of a cot. "What's your name?"

"Margie." The woman answered. "Yours?"

"Finn, Finn Hudson."

"Good to meet ya, Finn." She smiled slightly and then began. "From what I have gathered since Dani got here is that her parents died when she was a little kid, around 4 I think. The foster care system took her in and she was placed in multiple families, but never one for more than a year or so at a time. She never had a stable home and I know she was abused both physically and emotionally, which explains the constant running away."

Finn gasped. He knew Dani had obviously had a hard life, but he never thought it was that bad. She had been through hell and back.

"Are you ok, Finn?" Margie asked.

He managed to nod, although he was still clearly shaken up. "I..I guess. I just can't believe they gave up and let her runaway."

"It happens a lot more than you think. Dani's stronger than she looks. She's managed so far, but who knows how much longer that'll last. That girl needs to be in school, she's way to smart for the streets, and way too talented as well."

"I need to help her somehow." Finn concluded. "And I think I know just what to do."

Just then he caught sight of just who he was looking for. She had just walked in from outside, obviously frozen judging by her red hands and face. Her worn jacket and tights didn't exactly make for a warm outfit either.

"Dani?" Finn questioned as he walked up to the young girl, who turned and looked surprised to see him.

"Mr. Hudson hi, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"Please call me Finn and well I actually came here to see you."

"Oh?" She questioned.

"Are you ok?" Finn asked hoping she would open up to him.

She shrugged. "Guess so, about as good as I could be in a place like this."

He smiled slightly, suddenly feeling nervous around the young girl. "I hear you like to venture to see the Broadway theatres."

She grinned and nodded. "I love it. It's my dream to be up there someday. Just imagine someone with my background making it on Broadway. My autobiography would be a New York Times Bestseller." She said in all seriousness, totally reminding Finn of a young Rachel Berry.

"You know," Finn laughed, "I think I've heard my wife say the same thing."

"Really? Your wife likes Broadway to?"

"Are you kidding, she lives it." He grins when he sees her face light up.

"She's on Broadway? Who is she?" Dani asks excitedly.

"Uh Rachel Berry, have you heard of her?"

"Heard of her? She's only my idol!" Dani exclaims. "That's so amazing that you're married to her. I would love to meet her someday."

"Well I'm sure she'd love to meet you to." Finn said. "In fact, how would you like to come home with me for dinner and you can meet her then. I'm sure your not going to miss whatever they are serving here." Finn joked.

"You got that right." Dani laughed. "And I would love to come over for dinner, but are you sure your wife wouldn't mind? I wouldn't want to intrude. I've been told I'm annoying and talk to much."

"Well then you and Rachel will get along just fine, she's the same way. You'll be lucky to get a word in with her."

"That's so cool that we have something in common." Dani said. "You know besides the whole Broadway obssession. So you're serious about dinner?" She asked not quite believing it.

Finn nodded. "I would never joke about that."

Dani beamed. "Awesome! Can we go now, I'm kind of starving."

Finn laughed and nodded. "Just warning you, Rachel is a vegan so some of her food might make you cringe. She's a great cook though and she's usually pretty good about including meat for me and our kids." He said as they started walking out of the shelter and onto the busy New York street.

"You have kids?" Dani asked curiously.

"Yeah 2. Christopher is 6 and Audrey is 3."

"Cool, I can't wait to meet them. I actually love kids, I can kind of relate to them more than adults."

"Well considering you are a kid, I would hope that would be the case." Finn said.

"Yeah I guess your right, sometimes I feel like an grown-up though. I never really had a normal childhood, so I kind of group up fast." Dani said.

"I'm sorry you've had to go through so many things. It's not fair for someone your age, it's not fair to anyone of any age."

"Thank you." She whispered looking up at him in admiration.

Finn then put his arm over her shoulder in a fatherly kind of way and kissed her head gently. "Alright enough of the sappy stuff. Tell me about your favorite Broadway shows."

c


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry it took so long for me to update once again, but school is kicking my butt big time right now. Anyways here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the idea and a few of the characters. The song used in this chapter is The Lost Get Found by Britt Nicole.

Chapter 4

"Well this is it." Finn said leading Dani up the sidewalk to his home.

"Your house is beautiful." Dani said in admiration. It was like her dream home.

"Thank you. We try to make it look presentable." Finn laughed.

"Presentable? It's more than that, it's gorgeous. I've always wanted to live in a brownstone." Dani admitted. "I've always wanted a real home." She said the words so quietly that she didn't think Finn heard her. She kind of hoped he didn't, she didn't want him to feel sorry for her.

"I'm sorry you've had such a hard time with things." Finn put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. She only nodded sadly.

"Can we go inside? No offense, as lovely as the outside of your home is, I'm freezing."

Finn cracked a smile, glad that she seemed to be in good spirits once again. "Of course we can, right this way Miss...I'm sorry I don't even know your last name."

Dani shrugged. "I don't really either. It was Matthews when I was younger, but that was the name of the people who I lived with the first few years of my life. They never legally adopted me so it was never legally my last name and I guess I just decided to drop it when they died, I didn't want to be reminded of that life. So I really have no last name...kind of like Madonna or Beyonce."

"You didn't want to be reminded of that life?" Finn asked confused as they sat down on his front steps for a minute. He knew that it would really help her if she felt she could open up to him. "Was it really that bad?"

"I don't know, I don't remember it that well. I remember that my parents were both crack addicts and were involved in some gang stuff." She almost looked ashamed of herself and her past. "The social workers used to tell me my parents died in an accident like I'm stupid or something. I know that it was no accident they died, they were murdered by a rival gang member. I'm just lucky they never came after me."

Finn's jaw dropped. He knew things were bad, but he never pictured just how bad. "I'm so sorry Dani." He put his arm around her as he pulled her to his side. He didn't know if it was his paternal instincts kicking in or what, but he felt a strange need to protect this girl like his own. "Lets get you inside and warmed up."

They walked inside to the smell of pasta coming from the kitchen. "Rachel's been busy!" Finn exclaimed, his eyes lighting up at the thought of his wife's delicious cooking.

"Smells amazing." Dani beamed as she took in her surroundings. If she thought the outside of the house was beautiful, it was nothing compared to the inside. The foyer was large, with a huge coat closet in the corner lined with all kinds of outside accessories and more shoes than Dani had ever seen. As soon as they walked in the foyer she saw a staircase that she assumed lead upstairs to the bedrooms. To the left of the entrance was a beautiful living room area with a couch, loveseat and coffee table. The the right was a hallway that lead to the kitchen and another room that looked like a family room area. Again it had a couple couches and chairs, a big screen plasma tv, a huge fireplace and cage that held a lizard. The floor had a few toys scattered around it. The ceiling was high and she noticed a skylight as well.

"Rach, we're home." Finn called in search of his wife.

"Who's we?" Rachel's voice could be heard.

Dani gasped excitedly. She was going to meet her idol, hell she was going to be having dinner with her. It was a dream come true.

"I brought somebody special home with me." Finn answered.

Rachel came in to the room and Dani brought her hands to her mouth to keep from shreeking.

Rachel smiled brightly at the young girl, she assumed was a fan. She was used to those kinds of reactions now. "And who is this?"

"This is the girl I was telling you about, Dani." Finn explained. "Turns out she's a fan of you or something. Who knew you had any fans?" He joked earning himself a slap on the arm from his wife.

Rachel grinned even wider at Dani. "It's so great to meet you sweetie. Finn's told me about you."

"He has?" Dani asked surprised. What was so special about her?"

Rachel nodded. "He says you have an amazing voice. I'd love to hear you sing sometime."

Dani smiled nervously and nodded shyly. She wasn't sure where the sudden nervousness was coming from. She never got nervous. "I'd like that."

"Good! Are you hungry? I made a ton of food. Finny here eats like a horse, so I always make sure to make extra." Rachel giggled and Finn just rolled his eyes good naturedly.

"I'm starving actually." Dani said. "Thanks Miss Berry...urgh I mean Hudson. Sorry I don't know what you go by."

Rachel laughed. "It's ok honey, you can call me Rachel."

Dani nodded. "Ok, I'd like that. Thanks Rachel." They followed Rachel into the kitchen where they found 2 kids already sitting in their chairs, eagerly awaiting their dinner. Their eyes lit up when they saw Finn and they bounded over to him.

"Daddy!" The shreeked in happiness.

"Chris, Audrey I'd like to introduce you to somebody." Finn stated. The 2 kids turned towards the strange girl standing beside their mom. "This is Dani, she's going to be joining us for supper."

"It's nice to meet you guys." Dani smiled at the kids. They were adorable. Chris was a carbon copy of Finn with his brown hair, amber eyes, dimples and freckles. Audrey was a nice mixture of both Finn and Rachel. She had Rachel's hair and smile but she had Finn's eyes and nose. Both kids seemed to have inherited Finn's height. They both looked tall for their age.

"You're pretty." Audrey said staring at the girl. "You kind of look like my Mommy."

"I do?" Dani asked surprised. That was a first.

Chris seemed to agree with his sister. "Yeah you do."

Finn did a double take and he saw what his kids were talking about. Rachel and Dani did kind of look alike now that they were standing side by side. They both had dark brown hair, big brown sparkly eyes and they were both on the shorter side. He knew it must be a freak coincidence though.

"Well then thank you, I will take that as a compliment." Dani said with a smile.

Finn gasped. If he didn't know any better he'd swear that was Rachel's smile too. Too weird.

"Shall we eat?" Rachel asked and everyone nodded in agreement.

They took the time to learn more about Dani. They didn't talk about her past though cause no one wanted to make her uncomfortable. They mainly just found out more about her interests and such.

"So Dani, I'm told you like Broadway." Rachel said. "Have you ever been to a show?"

Dani shook her head sadly. "No, but I've seen you perform many times at the free shows in the park."

"How would you like to come see one of my shows? I would be happy to give you and maybe a friend of yours a ticket." Rachel said happy to be able to do something for the young girl.

"I'd love that, I don't know who I'd bring though. Maybe Mrs. Holloway."

"Who's Mrs. Holloway?" Finn asked curiously.

"She's the lady who more or less watches out for me at the shelter. She's the closest thing I've ever had to a mother." Dani explained.

"Well then I'd love to meet her, you should bring her to the show." Rachel said.

"Ok, I'm sure she'd like that. God knows she's heard me talk about you enough to know who you are." Dani laughed.

They spent the rest of dinner talking more about Broadway and Finn's job. Dani was surprised at how well she seemd to fit in with the Hudson family. Chris and Audrey even seemed to take a liking to her. Audrey was ecstatic to find out that Dani shared her love for dolls, and Chris was excited to show Dani how to play his video games, since she had never played before.

"So Dani, I'd still love to hear you sing." Rachel said.

"Really? I'm not anything special." The young girl replied.

"That's not what my husband says." Rachel shared a smile and look with Finn. "And he knows what he's talking about."

"Well then ok I guess, do you have a karaoke machine or anything?" She asked.

Finn had to laugh. "Do we have a karaoke machine? Are you kidding? You realize who my wife is right? She's the karaoke Queen. We pretty much have every karaoke song imaginable. Go ahead and pick one."

Dani laughed and walked to where Finn was pointing. He was right, there was pretty much every song imaginable. Dani's smile brightened when she found a perfect song for her. She put the cd in and when the music started she smiled brightly at the family in front of her.

_Hello my friend  
>I remember when you were<br>So alive with your wide eyes to the light  
>Then the light that you had when your heart was stolen<br>Now you say that it ain't worth stayin'  
>You wanna run but you're hesitatin'<br>I'm talkin' to me_

_Don't let the lights go down  
>Don't let the fire burn out<br>Cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe  
>Why don't you rise up now?<br>Don't be afraid to stand out  
>That's how the lost get found<br>The lost get found_

_So when you get the chance (get the chance)  
>Are you gonna take it (take it)<br>There's a really big world at your fingertips  
>And you know you have the chance to change it<br>There's a girl on the streets, she's cryin'  
>There's a man whose faith is dying<br>Love is calling you_

_Don't let the lights go down  
>Don't let the fire burn out<br>Cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe  
>Why don't you rise up now?<br>Don't be afraid to stand out  
>That's how the lost get found<br>The lost get found_

_Why do we go with the flow?  
>Why take the easier road?<br>Why are we playin' it safe?  
>Love came to show us the way<br>Love is a chance we should take  
>I'm movin' out of the way<em>

_Dada dada da da [x2]_

_Don't let the lights go down  
>Don't let the fire burn out<br>Cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe  
>(stand up)<br>Don't let the lights go down  
>Don't let the fire burn out (stand up)<br>Cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe  
>Why don't you rise up now?<br>Don't be afraid to stand out  
>That's how the lost get found<br>The lost get found_

_So when you get the chance  
>Are you gonna take it<br>There's a really big world at your fingertips  
>And you know you have the chance to change it<em>

Finn and Rachel both stood up and applauded the girl. She was even better than Finn had originally thought. She put so much emotion into her singing, it was unreal.

"Dani, that was amazing." Finn walked over and hugged the girl tightly. "How have you not been discovered yet is beyond me."

"Maybe because I live on the streets." Dani shrugged like it was nothing. "I do want to be on Broadway someday, and maybe I will be."

"It's not a maybe young lady, you belong there. A voice like that shouldn't be locked away, it would be a crime against humanity." Rachel said.

"Thank you." She said near tears. Her idol had just given her what was the most amazing compliment she had and probably would ever receive.

"Dani, I'm going to ask you something, and you can say no if you want to. You are under no obligation to say yes. It's just an idea." Rachel said.

Dani nodded in understanding.

"How would you like to go to school, and not just any school but the New York High School for the Performing Arts? I have some pull there, one of my college friends is now a teacher there. I'm sure if she heard your voice, she would put in a recommendation for you." Rachel said.

Dani looked at the woman in front of her in awe. "I would love to, but there's no way I could afford that, and where would I live? I'm sure they wouldn't accept some kid from the street."

Rachel smiled slightly. "Well you could live here silly, we have an extra room and the school is only 1 train stop away. And who said you would have to pay for it? I would pay for it of course. Think of it as me investing in the talent of the future. You might even be able to get a scholarship. I would just really love to help you Dani, it would be an absolute shame for your talent to go to waste."

Dani had tears coming out of her eyes. "You're really serious aren't you?"

Finn laughed a little at her reaction. He put his arm around his tiny wife. "Rach would never joke about something like this. So what do you say?"

Dani wiped at her eyes. "I'd say HELL YES!" She ran into the arms of both adults and hugged them tighter than she'd ever hugged anyone in her life. This was her new beginning.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Three days later and Dani was getting settled into her newest temporary home. That was what she called all her homes as she had never really had anything permanent. The closest thing she had ever had to a permanent home was when she was little, and that home did not hold many good memories for her.

So far she really liked Finn and Rachel. She was developing a close relationship with both of them. She discovered both she and Finn had a liking for football. They were both big Jets fans and had watched a game together the night before. He was trying to get her into watching college football, but somehow going for his team the Buckeyes just seemed weird to her. She was a native New Yorker born and raised. Going for another team in another state, even if it was just college ball, seemed like some sort of betrayal.

Rachel, on the otherhand, she bonded with about their shared love of Broadway. Sure Dani hadn't seen many shows being that she didn't really have a tv, but the shows she had seen, she adored. Rachel had promised to introduce her to all different kinds of musicals, especially ones with Barbra Streisand, specifically Funny Girl. It was the musical that Rachel was hoping to someday star in if they ever did another revival.

Dani really enjoyed talking to both Finn and Rachel as well. She talked with Rachel about the "girl things" that she had never felt comfortable talking about with other woman. Rachel was quickly becoming a mother figure for her. Finn knew a bit more about her past, and when she got upset, she talked to him, somehow knowing he wouldn't betray her trust in his secrecy.

Their kids, Chris and Audrey, were great. Dani had always wanted younger siblings, and the two were quickly filling those roles in her heart. Chris loved video games and was teaching Dani how to play as well, and she was actually getting pretty good. She wasn't big on shooting games, but she still played. Audrey was like any other typical 3 year old, she loved having tea parties with her stuffed animals and playing Barbies with her dreamhouse. Audrey even let Dani play with her favorite of the Barbie family, Kristy. At the tea parties, Audrey let her sit next to her most treasured possession, her stuffed dog, Elphaba.

Dani was currently trying to get her new room set up to her liking. For now the room was painted a light pink, but Rachel had promised to let Dani paint it however she wanted. Dani was thinking of a purple color, as that was her favorite color. Rachel and Finn had went out and bought new sheets, a desk and as a special surprise, a new Mac computer that she would need for school. Dani hadn't wanted to accept it at first, but after the looks she received from both adults, she gave in. She wasn't used to being spoiled.

Rachel promised that she would get some new clothes as well. Kurt, Finn's brother-in-law, was coming to town that night and had insisted on taking Finn and Rachel's new houseguest shopping, because according to him, Rachel was simply not up to the task of helping Dani pick out clothes. Dani had burst into a fit of laughter when Rachel pulled out some albums of her high school years to show her what she used to dress like.

"How's the unpacking come?" Rachel asked stepping into the room.

Dani shrugged. "Ok I guess, it's not like I have a ton of stuff."

"Well there is one more thing I wanted to give you." Rachel said.

"Rachel, I really can't accept anything more from you guy. You and Finn have already done so much for me." Dani insisted.

"Relax Dani, we like helping you out. This is just a little something for your first day of school tomorrow." Rachel explained. Dani had been tested and they determined that she could go into 8th grade. She probably should have gone into 7th grade where she had left off before she quit, but the tests revealed that she could handle, maybe even excel, at a higher level.

"What is it?" She asked curiously.

Rachel smiled and pulled her hands out from behind her back to reveal a package of gold star stickers. Dani smiled at that.

"Gold stars were, and still are, my thing." Rachel said with a laugh. "I thought maybe they could be your thing to, if you want. Every star needs their own symbol, and what better than a gold star."

Dani took the package into her hands and smiled brightly. "Thank you, this means a lot to me."

"You're very welcome sweetie." Rachel smoothed out the hair out from the young girls eyes.

"No, I mean not just for the stickers. They're great, don't get me wrong, but for everything you and Finn have done. I can't thank you enough. I honestly was losing all hope for my future until I met you two." Dani said as she sat down on her bed, with Rachel sitting down next to her, wiping the tears that fell from the girl's eyes.

"You have nothing to thank us for. We want to help you in anyway we can." Rachel assured her. "Truthfully, you kind of amaze us."

Dani looked up surprised as Rachel continued to run her fingers through her hair in a motherly gesture. "How?"

"Just your resilience. You've been through so much in your life, yet you've gotten through it like a champ from what Finn tells me. I don't know much about your past, but I see you now and you just blow me away with your strength." Rachel said with a look of adoration on her face.

"Thank you." Dani choked out. She couldn't find the words to express how she felt at that moment, but she was incredibly grateful that these people had come into her life. "You know, I haven't really had a mother before, at least not a good one, and your kind of the closest thing I've got to one now. I feel like I can tell you things, you and Finn. That means the world to me."

"Honey, it means the world to us that you feel you can talk to us. If you ever need anything, want to talk about anything, you can come to us." Rachel said. "I don't want to push you into telling me anything, but is there anything you know about your birth parents? I just think that since your going to be living with us, we know a little about your medical history, so we know how to help you if you get sick or something."

Dani thought for a minute. "I don't really know anything about them. All I was ever told about them is that I was abadoned at birth and taken in by the Matthews, then they died. Sorry."

"Don't apologize, you've told us all you know." Rachel said.

"My birthday is April 5, 2018, or at least that's the date I was told since there's apparently no record of me being born."

Rachel's eyes widened in shock.

"Rachel, are you ok? Your eyes just went really wide." Dani observed. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No Dani." Rachel choked out. "I..I just thought of something I needed to ask Finn." She stated. "Dinner will be ready shortly, if you want to wash up."

Dani nodded. "Sure thing." She said as she got up and headed for the washroom.

Rachel immediately darted for the kitchen when the girl left.

"Rach, what's wrong?" Finn asked upon seeing his wife's pale face and her heavy breathing.

"I..I just talked t-to Dani..." She stopped midsentence.

"Ok?"

"Her birthday is April 5, 2018 Finn, do you know what that means?"

Finn dropped the fork he had been using to eat.

"That's Daniella's birthday." Rachel exclaimed.

"I know baby. There's a lot of coincidences. I know your thinking about her when you look at Dani." Finn said sadly as he brought his wife into his arms.

"Finn don't you see, there's too many coincidences here." Rachel said. "I want to find out anything I can about Dani's past."

"Why?" Finn asked confused.

"Because I think Dani might be our Daniella!"

Dun dun dun...sorry guys had to end on a cliffhanger. This was kind of a big chapter in a sense, but it will only get more intense from here. Thanks for reading, and to those who continue to review, thank you!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Finn, did you not hear me or something? I said I think Dani might be Daniella!" Rachel exclaimed again to her husband, who looked dumbfounded by her suggestion.

"I..I heard you Rach, I guess I'm just a little shocked." He sat down again at the table to put his face in his hands. "You think Dani is our daughter?"

Rachel nodded emphatically in response. "I know it's crazy, but just think about it. You've said yourself that there's a lot of coincidences, too many really. They share the same birthday, Dani looks like me, and even their names are similar...Danielle, Daniella."

Finn sighed sympathetically. He understood why his wife wanted to believe this so badly. It would be a miracle. He felt a connection with Dani to, but it was what it was...all coincidence. "Rach, I know how badly you want to believe this. But I really think it's all just pure coincidence. She's not our daughter, our daughter is dead."

Rachel shook her head. "No, something in my heart and in my gut is telling me that this is true. I think I've known it since I first laid eyes on her. Think about it, the timeline lines up perfectly. There's no record of Dani's birth, she doesn't know anything about her parents, there's no adoption record...it's because she was taken from us in the hospital, she was kidnapped."

Finn took her in his arms to calm her overexcited nerves. "Babe, I really think you're getting ahead of yourself here. Our baby was sick, she died. We got to hold her, don't you remember that? Remember saying goodbye?"

"Yeah but there's got to be some explanation for all this. Maybe that baby that we held was just a stand in."

"Rach, this isn't a soap opera." Finn had to chuckle lightly despite the mood.

"Finn, please you have to believe me. I really think I'm right. I think if we dig up enough information, we will find that that girl upstairs is our daughter." Rachel pleaded.

"What do you think we should just go upstairs and ask her for a DNA sample? Explain to her that we think she is our daughter and get her hopes up, only to have them crushed again when we find out it's not true? I don't think that's fair Rach." Finn rationed.

Rachel nodded understandingly. "I know we can't do that to her. We have to have solid proof before we tell her anything. But she doesn't necessarily have to know that we're taking some of her DNA. We could just take her toothbrush or something."

"I guess..." Finn trailed off lost in thought for a moment. "Ok say if what you're saying is true and Dani is ours, we've still got to figure out what happened to her when she was a baby and whose baby did we bury? What other family went through hell that night because their daughter was taken?"

"I..I know and we will find all that out in time, but for now, the first thing we need to do is figure out if she is who I know in my heart she is." Rachel said.

Finn nodded in agreement. "Ok but for tonight, can we maybe just have dinner and put these thoughts to the side. I don't want Dani or Chris or Audrey getting suspicious of anything."

"You're right, it would just confuse them. We'll eat dinner and have a normal night, but tomorrow we begin the search."

She took her husband's hand, kissed his palm and then set about getting dinner ready. They had a relatively quiet family night and both Rachel and Finn went to bed thinking that for the first time in 13 years, they finally felt whole again, like the pieces of their hearts that had gone missing, was back in place.

The next day Rachel had decided it was time to get proactive. She gave Dani a new toothbrush and claimed her old one needed to be replaced. It wasn't a lie, the one she had was obviously well used. Dani hadn't detected any changes in the mood of the house thankfully.

"Are you excited about your first day of school?" Rachel asked Dani as she ate her breakfast.

Dani nodded. "I am. It'll be weird to be in school again, but nice at the same time. I actually liked school while I was there oddly enough, well at least the learning part."

"Can I ask why you dropped out?" Rachel asked.

Dani shrugged. "I just stopped going I guess. The kids at my old school hated me and tormented me on a daily basis. I had food thrown in my face all the time and I had to bring extra clothes to school."

"I'm sorry you went through that." Rachel said as she placed her hand on top of Dani's. "No one deserves to be treated that way. If it helps, I went through pretty much the same thing in high school, except it was slushies not food that was thrown at me."

"You were bullied?" Dani asked, shocked that her idol had been the victim of any sort of bullying.

Rachel nodded. "Other kids hated me because of my attitude. I was pretty overdramatic and a tad abrasive. I didn't really have any friends until I met Finn."

"You and Finn went to school together?"

"Yep, we were high school sweethearts. After graduation, Finn moved here to New York with me and we both went to college. We've been together since junior year. Well techniquely we got together in sophmore year, but then we had a huge fight at the beginning of junior year and didn't get back together until the end of that year." Rachel explained.

"Wow, that's a long time." Dani said astonished. "How did you get together?"

"Through Glee Club, we were both co-captains. I heard Finn sing in You're The One That I Want from Grease sophmore year and knew right then that he was it for me." Rachel laughed at the memory of her crazy high school self. "You could say I got kind of obssessed with him for awhile there, almost like a stalker of sorts, but a sweet one none the less. He finally realized his feelings for me after he saw me dating another guy and after we broke up, Finn confessed that he loved me and we got together."

"That's quite some story." Dani laughed. "I would love to hear it more in depth someday."

Rachel smiled and nodded. "I would be more than happy to tell you someday Dani. But right now, I think it's about time that you got to school. Finn's going to take you, I have some errands I need to run."

Dani nodded. "Ok, well I'll see you later Rachel. Thanks again for the story."

Rachel beamed at the young girl and kissed her head before sending her on her way. When she saw everyone else leave, she immediately got to work. Finn knew exactly what she was up to and he was meeting her at the hospital later on that morning.

Two hours later and Rachel and Finn were in the waiting area waiting to speak with the doctor who was a personal friend of hers, and who she hoped would agree to help her and Finn out.

"Rach, would you stop pacing?" Finn begged. "You know it makes me nervous."

Rachel immediately sat down at her husband's request. "I'm sorry, I'm just anxious."

"It's going to be ok." Finn assured her by placing his large hand on her shaky knee. "One way or another, it's going to be ok. We will get through this."

"Rachel, Finn?" They looked up when they recognized the voice of the female doctor.

"Santana, hi." Rachel stated happily upon seeing her friend. She and Santana had finally got to be friends after starring in West Side Story together and discovering that they actually had a lot more in common than they thought.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked as she hugged them both. "I mean not that it's not good to see the Hobbit and Frankenteen of course." Santana joked.

Rachel and Finn both rolled their eyes at her crack.

"Sorry, old joke." Santana smiled. "So what can I do for you?" She asked as she led them into her office.

"We need your help with something and it's kind of important." Finn explained. "But we also need your secrecy. This cannot get out to anybody."

Santana nodded in understanding. "Doctor-patient confidentiality remember?"

"Right.." Finn said. "Well here goes nothing I guess."

He and Rachel then preceeded to spend the next half hour explaining their situation to Santana who had taken an interest immediately. She had been there through all of Rachel's pregnancies, and remembered how devastated the couple had been when their first baby "died."

"So can you help us?" Rachel asked.

Santana nodded right away. "Of course. Nothing would make me happier. I hope for both your sakes that it is true."

"Thanks Satan." Finn laughed at his old nickname for her. He earned an eye roll for that.

"So do you have anything that I can compare with to your DNA?" Santana asked.

Rachel nodded and pulled out the ziploc bag with Dani's toothbrush in it.

"Perfect." Santana smiled. "I will put a rush on this and should be back to you by tonight if all goes well."

"Thanks Santana, for everything." Rachel stressed everything to her friend.

"You're welcome, now get out of here and go home to those adorable kids of yours. I cannot wait to meet Dani, wait until I tell her more about high school Rachel."

"She knows, believe me she knows." Rachel laughed.

"Oh but she doesn't know everything." Santana winked before letting the couple walk hand in hand out of her office. "I'll talk to you guys later."

Finn and Rachel both nodded and went home where the waiting process commenced.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Why hasn't she called?" Rachel asked impatietly as she and Finn sat in their living room, attempting to watch television. They had sent Chris and Audrey to bed a few minutes before and Dani was upstairs doing some homework. "She said she would call tonight."

Finn sighed and placed a hand on her trembling knee to still it. "Rach, she said she would call tonight if she heard anything. Normally these tests can take days to complete, we're lucky Santana was able to rush it as fast as she did."

Rachel nodded. "I still wish we knew something. I'm going crazy."

"Well why don't you try thinking about something else?"

"Like what?" Rachel asked.

He shrugged. "Like what are we going to tell our parents if this turns out to be true? My Mom and Burt will be on the first flight out here."

Rachel laughed knowingly. "Same with my Dads. They're going to overwhelm Dani with gifts."

"Uh oh Rach, you just brought up a good point." Finn said. Rachel looked at him strangely in question. "I just mean that Dani is going to be overwhelmed, what if she can't handle it?"

"Then we let her take the time to adjust to everything before we call our families." Rachel said. "We have to make sure she is settled before we do anything else, I don't want to scare her."

Finn nodded just as he heard a knock on the front door.

"Who could that be at this hour?" He asked Rachel who just shrugged before they both got up to answer it.

"Santana? What are you doing here?" Rachel asked as they let their friend inside.

Santana took her coat off and sat down on the loveseat across from the couch Finn and Rachel had been sitting on before. "Well I got the results back from those tests you asked me to have done."

"Ok, what did they say?" Finn asked.

"Breathe Frankenteen, I haven't opened them yet." Santana laughed. "I thought that if I came over we could all do it together."

"That's a good idea." Rachel enthused.

"Alright lets do this." Finn said as he grabbed for the envelope and tore it open. He looked at the diagrams and charts and immediately his mind went into overdrive. "Um maybe you should do this."

Santana smirked and shook her head. "Couldn't understand it huh?"

"Not a word." Finn said earning an eye roll from Rachel.

Santana looked it over as Rachel and Finn both held their breathes. When her eyes visibly brightened and widened, they started to get excited.

"Santana? What does it say?" Rachel questioned the latina.

Santana let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She had never been this anxious over a DNA test before, and she was a doctor. She couldn't imagine what Finn and Rachel were going through as parents.

"It says that Danielle is without a doubt, 100% yours, Rachel. She's your daughter, your's and Finn's." Santana looked up at the couple with tears in her eyes.

It was then that Rachel broke down, out of happiness. Tears poured from her eyes as Finn gathered her in his arms and stroked her hair. He placed his chin on top of her head and tried to blink back tears of his own. They had found their little girl!

"I'm so incredibly happy for you guys." Santana said a few minutes later when things had calmed down a bit.

"Santana, I don't know how we could ever repay you." Finn said while still trying to calm his hysterical wife.

"Don't mention it, it's my job." Santana laughed. "But if you wanted to repay me, you could let me burn that trunk of knee highs that I know Rachel still has in the attic."

"Santana!" Rachel exclaimed, but she couldn't find it in her heart to be angry. She was too happy. "Thank you so much." She stood up and hugged the woman tightly, knowing she would never be able to thank her enough for rushing the results and even agreeing to run the tests.

"You're both very welcome." She smiled as she hugged Finn as well. "I better get going though, but I will be by soon. I can't wait to meet Dani."

They both hugged her one last time and said goodbye to her.

"Can you believe it Finn? I was right, she's ours!" Rachel squealed like a little girl.

"I..I'm still trying to process it." Finn admitted. "I've felt a connection to her since I met her, but I never thought it was because she's mine...ours."

"We have to tell her!" Rachel bounded for the stairs, only to have Finn stop her.

"Rach, wait. We don't want to upset her, this is already going to be confusing enough for her." Finn reminded her. "We need to talk to her calmly and gently."

Rachel nodded in agreement as she took Finn's hand and they walked up the stairs together. They checked on Chris and Audrey before making their way to Dani's room.

Rachel knocked once and heard Dani say "come in."

"Hey you." Finn and Rachel both said as they looked at Dani attempting to figure her way through a poem.

She turned to face the two, who looked as if they were trying to hold something back. Dani could tell Rachel was really trying to fight a smile. "Hi." She said. "What's going on?"

"What makes you think something's going on?" Finn laughed.

Dani shrugged. "You've both got weird looks on your faces. Did I do something?"

Rachel sat on the bed. "What makes you think you did something?"

"Just the way you're looking at me." Dani laughed.

"Well sweetie, there's something we need to talk to you about." Finn sat down next to his wife, who nodded along.

"Ok?" Dani looked at them curiously, giving them her undivided attention.

"You remember last night how we were talking about your family and I asked you about your medical history."

Dani nodded. "Yeah and I told you my birthday was the only thing I really knew, and even that is up in the air."

"Right, well what I didn't tell you was that your birthday was also our daughter's birthday." Rachel explained.

"It's Audrey's birthday too? Cool."

"No Dani, not exactly." Finn said.

Now Dani looked even more confused. "I'm confused, I thought you only had one daughter."

"We do...did...urgh Rach, can you help me?" Finn asked.

Rachel laughed slightly at her husband's stammer. "What Finn is trying to say is that we had 2 daughters, our first daughter died at birth...or so we thought. She would be 13 years old like you."

"I'm confused. You had a daughter who had my birthday and is my same age? What do you mean you thought?" Dani asked.

"Well this is where you come in. See when you told me your birthday, things just sort of started clicking into place. The story surrounding your birth and your adoptive family and how there was no record of your birth...it just fit into place."

"What do you mean?" Dani asked.

"Well when our daughter was born, she appeared perfectly healthy until all of a sudden the doctor rushed her off to the NICU. A little while later he came back and told us she died." Finn explained.

Dani looked at them sadly. "I'm really sorry about your daughter, but what does that have to do with me?"

"When you told me your story I just sort of got this feeling that something didn't add up. It was like the feeling I got when they told us about our baby dying. Something just never seemed right about it. We did a little digging and it turns out I was right, something went wrong that night, something bad."

"What?" Dani asked. "What were you right about?"

"Dani, sweetie you might want to sit tight for this." Finn braced the girl. "You're our daughter."

Dani's jaw dropped to the floor.

"I'm what?"

There you have it, chapter 7. And I know, another cliffhanger...I'm evil, sorry! My midterms are over so I have a little while before my finals start, I should be updating more. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and still enjoy the story! I love writing it. Thanks for reading to reviewing.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"You're our daughter." Rachel repeated again as Dani got up from her seat and paced the room trying to come to terms with the news. "We had a DNA test run and it proved that you are mine, mine and Finn's."

Finn had to bite back a laugh as he watched Dani pace nervously back and fourth in thought. That was definitely a trait she inherited from Rachel. Now that he got a good look at her, he couldn't believe that he hadn't seen it before. Dani was basically a clone of Rachel's younger self, only with his nose and dimples. Hell she even had Rachel's height.

"Are you ok Dani?" Finn asked out of concern for the young girl, who hadn't said a word in about 5 minutes, something he knew was uncharacteristic of her.

Dani slowed her pacing and turned to look at the two and gave them a small nod. "Just in shock I think."

"That's perfectly natural." Rachel assured the girl. "You need time to adjust, we understand that."

"I just...don't even know what to say." Dani's eyes glistened with unreleased tears. "You're my parents? My real parents?"

Finn and Rachel both looked at eachother and then back at her and nodded, a smile lighting up their faces.

"How did you know to have me tested?" Dani asked.

"I just had this gut feeling that would not go away. I told Finn about it and he thought I was crazy, but I managed to convince him to at least give me the benefit of the doubt, which he did." Rachel explained.

"So that's why you were so adamant about giving me a new toothbrush this morning?" Dani laughed slightly at Rachel.

"Sure was. You needed a new one anyway, I did us both a favor." Rachel laughed along with her daughter. _Her _daughter, that felt good to say. Her's and Finn's first born.

"So what happens now?" Dani asked curiously. "Do you adopt me? I'm so confused."

"I don't think that will be necessary given that your techniquely a ward of the state with no adoptive family and given that we have physical proof you are ours." Rachel said. "We will definitely be getting you a legal birth certificate and a legal identity."

"This is so strange." Dani said. "Five minutes ago I was Danielle nobody, now I'm Danielle Hudson...or is that my real name?"

"Well techniquely we named you Daniella Grace Hudson, but if you wanted to be Danielle, I'm sure we could make that work." Finn said.

"I..I like Daniella, it's prettier than Danielle. There's too many Danielles in the world." Dani crunched up her nose causing both parents to break out in laughter.

"You are definitely Rachel's daughter." Finn laughed. "Daniella it is then."

"Can I call you Mom and Dad? I mean if that's too weird for you, I'm fine with Finn and Rachel." Dani said.

Rachel's eyes welled up with tears. That was something she had only ever dreamed of. "We'd love it if you called us Mom and Dad." Rachel beamed.

"Awesome." Dani smiled.

"Dani there is something we need to ask you, and if you're not ready, then by all means say no." Rachel said.

"Ok?" Dani asked unsuredly.

"We would like to tell our parents and other family members about you, but if you think it's still too soon, we will hold off. We don't want to overwhelm you."

"I guarantee that the moment I tell them, my Mom and step dad will be on the next flight to New York, same with Rachel's Dads." Finn said.

Dani thought about it for a minute, but then got excited. "I'd love to meet your families. I've always wanted to be apart of something big."

"Alright. As soon as you go to bed, we will make those calls." Finn said.

"Can you tell me about my family?" Dani asked.

"Sure, but it's getting late so how about you get ready for bed and we will tell you about them." Rachel responded.

"Ok." Dani agreed easily and five minutes later she was underneath the covers with Finn and Rachel flanked on either side of her.

"Rach, you want to go first? You're family is the easiest to explain." Finn laughed.

Rachel nodded in agreement. She took Dani's hand and gave it a squeeze. "You remember how I told you about how I have 2 dads?"

Dani nodded.

"Well their names are Hiram and Leroy Berry. I was born via surrogate and when I was 16 my Mom came into my life. Her name is Shelby and she isn't married, but she does have an adoptive daughter named Beth. She is 18 almost 19 years old. And that is really all you need to know about my family." Rachel said.

"Ok that seems easy enough." Dani said. "What about you Dad?"

Finn smiled at her calling him Dad. It sounded so natural coming from her. "Alright so my parents names are Christopher and Carole, but when I was a baby my Dad died in the Desert Storm mission."

"I'm sorry." Dani said.

Finn shrugged sadly. "It's ok I mean I never even knew him. Anyways my Mom raised me by herself until I was 16 when she met Burt Hummel. A little while later they got married making Burt my stepdad. Burt has a son, my brother Kurt. You've heard us mention him."

Dani nodded remembering the name.

"Well he is now married to his long time partner, Blaine. They have a little boy named James who I'm sure you will probably meet tomorrow. He is Chris' age. That's basically everything you'll need to know."

"That's not that complicated. You made it sound like your family was completely messed up. You don't know messed up until you've seen some of the foster families." Dani said causing Rachel and Finn to share a look of confusion. They didn't really want to press the issue though, figuring Dani would come to them if she wanted to talk about it.

"Alright missy, it's way late and you've got school in the morning. My guess is by the time you come home, our families will be here and you will not have a moments peace, so I suggest you get a good nights sleep." Rachel said going into mother mode right away.

"Can you tuck me in and sing me a song? I know it's childish, but it's just something I've always wanted." Dani said.

Finn and Rachel both nodded eagerly. "Of course we will tuck you in."

The proud parents pulled the blankets snuggly around their daughter's shoulders and each kissed her forehead in turn.

"What song would you like us to sing?" Finn asked.

"Anything." Dani yawned.

Rachel began singing a song that was close to both her and Finn's hearts.

_You're not alone  
>Together we stand<br>I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand  
>When it gets cold<br>And it feels like the end  
>There's no place to go<br>You know I won't give in  
>No I won't give in<em>

_Keep holding on  
>'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through<br>Just stay strong  
>'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you<br>There's nothing you could say  
>Nothing you could do<br>There's no other way when it comes to the truth  
>So keep holding on<br>'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

_So far away  
>I wish you were here<br>Before it's too late, this could all disappear  
>Before the doors close<br>And it comes to an end  
>With you by my side I will fight and defend<br>I'll fight and defend  
>Yeah, yeah<em>

_Keep holding on  
>'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through<br>Just stay strong  
>'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you<br>There's nothing you could say  
>Nothing you could do<br>There's no other way when it comes to the truth  
>So keep holding on<br>'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

_Hear me when I say, when I say I believe  
>Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny<br>Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly  
>Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah<em>

_La da da da  
>La da da da<br>La da da da da da da da da_

_Keep holding on  
>'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through<br>Just stay strong  
>'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you<br>There's nothing you could say  
>Nothing you could do<br>There's no other way when it comes to the truth  
>So keep holding on<br>'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

_Keep holding on  
>Keep holding on<em>

_There's nothing you could say  
>Nothing you could do<br>There's no other way when it comes to the truth  
>So keep holding on<br>'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through  
><em> 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Yes Daddy, Finn or I will be at the airport to pick you and Dad up at 6:00 p.m. sharp." Rachel said while on the phone to her father in Ohio. "Burt and Carole are on the same flight as you guys so we are renting a car for the night.

_"Are you sure you don't need us to get a hotel Rachel?" Leroy asked his daughter._

"No we have plenty of room. I think I will put Dani in with Audrey and you can have Dani's room. Burt and Carole are staying with Kurt and Blaine." Rachel explained.

_"I just can't get over the news. Ever since you told us about Dani last night it's all your father and I can talk about. We have 13 years of spoiling to make up for." _

"I know you guys are excited to meet her, but really you don't need to bring her much of anything. Finn and I are taking care of that. Besides she's going to be overwhelmed as it is, she's not used to having so much attention focused on her." Rachel said while looking over at Finn who was on the phone to Carole, mumbling words here and there to his mother who was yapping away.

"_What's she like, Finn?" Carole asked excitedly. "I can't wait to meet her."_

"She's kind of a mixture of Rachel and I. She looks pretty much identical to Rachel as a teenager, but she's kind of got my laidback nature. She loves Broadway but she likes sports to, see where I'm going with this?" Finn smiled as he heard his mother's laugh.

_"She sounds delightful." Carole said. "Burt can't wait to meet her either. We're so excited to have another grandchild to spoil, even if she is a 13 year old girl."_

"Sounds great Mom, we'll see you guys soon." Finn said as he waited for Carole to say goodbye and hung up the phone.

Finn and Rachel both looked at eachother and sighed, feeling content for the first time in days.

"So everything's set." Rachel said. "Our parents are arriving tonight and Kurt and Blaine will be here with Jamie at 7."

"That sounds perfect." Finn said. "Did you talk to Shelby?"

Rachel nodded. "Her and Beth are stopping by tonight as well, but they weren't sure of the time."

"Ok, so being that our house is going to be full of people for the next few days, maybe you and I should have a little alone time?" Finn said suggestively winking at her.

Rachel rolled her eyes playfully. "Don't you have work to do Hudson?"

"Nah called in sick, this was a special occasion. I called the theatre for you as well, told them to have your understudy fill in for you."

"Finn Hudson!" Rachel admonished him and hit him in the arm, but ended up laughing. "Thank you. You're right this is a special occasion, work can wait."

"Exactly, so now where were we on the sex thing? The kids are at school, the house is empty, we don't have to work today..." Finn reminded his wife.

"Lead the way." Rachel grinned and grabbed his hand.

Evening approached quickly for the Hudson family. Finn had left to pick everyone up at the airport while Rachel got the kids ready. Chris and Audrey were having a hard time understanding what the big deal was that all their grandparents were flying in for. Rachel and Finn had sat them down and told them about Dani, but they were pretty young and had a hard time grasping the situation. All they understood was that they had an older sister now who was going to be living with them for the long haul.

"Mommy is it Christmas? Is that why Grandma and Papa, and Grandpa Hiram and Grandpa Leroy are coming?" Audrey asked.

Rachel shook her head at the little girl as she did her hair. "No sweetie, they're just coming to visit and meet your sister." Rachel had been trying to emphasize the word sister to get Audrey to fully grasp the concept.

"Dani?" Audrey questioned.

"How come she's our sister all of a sudden?" Chris asked entering into the room. "Doesn't she hafta be in your tummy for that to happen?"

Rachel laughed. "No honey, well I mean yeah that's techniquely true I guess."

Chris looked at her confused.

"It's like your Daddy and I told you guys this morning, Dani was in my tummy, but when she was born she was taken away from us for a while and she's come to live with us again." Rachel tried to explain it again, but it was hard given that they were 6 and 3.

"How come we never heard about her before?" Chris asked. He was at an age where he asked lots of questions.

"Because Daddy and I weren't sure we were ever going to see her again and it made us sad to think about it, but we would have told you about her someday even if she had never come back." Rachel assured her son.

Chris nodded seeming to understand.

"Can you guys finish getting yourselves ready? I'm going to check on Dani."

Chris and Audrey both nodded and Rachel kissed them both on the head before walking down the hall to Dani's room.

"Dani honey?" Rachel knocked before entering, remembering that teenagers liked their privacy.

"Come in." Dani replied.

"Are you ready for this?" Rachel asked looking at the young girl and thinking that it was like looking at a young version of herself. Dani had showered and changed after coming home from school, wanting to look as nice for her new family as possible. She had borrowed Rachel's curling iron and softly curled the ends of her hair. She wore a dark denim skirt with a dark purple top and white shirt underneath. It was nearly impossible to tell that merely days ago this girl had been living on the street.

"You look beautiful." Rachel said with a smile.

"Thank you, I tried to clean up a bit." Dani shrugged. "I'm really nervous, what if they hate me?"

Rachel's jaw dropped. "Honey, why would they hate you?"

"I don't know, my past? I haven't lead the best lifestyle. I dropped out of school, I ran away from my foster family. The list goes on." Dani said.

Rachel pulled her daughter into a tight motherly hug. "None of that matters sweetie. Those people, your family, they don't care about your past, all they care about is who you are now. From what I can tell, you're a pretty amazing kid. You've survived things that I can't even imagine going through. I don't know how you did, but you did it."

"I did what I had to do." Dani said. "I'm no braver than anybody else."

"Oh but you are." Rachel assured her. "Which is why, tonight will be a breeze for you. All these people coming here tonight already love you and they don't even know you."

"Really?" Dani asked.

"Oh yeah, big time. Your Uncle Kurt is already insisting on taking you on a shopping trip to Fifth Avenue. Your Grandparents are thinking up ways to spoil you to death and I'm pretty sure your Aunt Beth is planning on taking you to a Broadway show in the very near future." Rachel laughed as Dani's eye lit up.

"Seriously? You'll come right? You promised that you'd come with me." Dani reminded her mother.

"I wouldn't miss it." Rachel said and paused when she heard keys turning in the door.

"Rach, were here." Finn called through the apartment.

Rachel looked at Dani whose eyes were wide with fear. She took her hand, kissed her head and lead her out of the room.

'Here goes nothing.' Dani thought to herself.

There you have it, Chapter 9. Next chapter will be the big meet the family chapter. I hope your looking forward to it, it will be up soon. In the mean time thank you for continuing to read and thanks for all the amazing reviews. I honestly never expected that kind of response. It means the world to me :)


	10. Chapter 10

Wow guys 50 reviews! Seeing that made my entire day. Thank you all so much :) I'm glad everyone seems to be liking the story, so as a thank you I'm posting this chapter soon than I planned! Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 10

Rachel and Dani walked into the entrance area of the house to see it crowded with people. Dani tried her best to hide behind Rachel, but it was a little hard considering how short Rachel is.

Finn laughed at his daughter's actions and took her hand to pull her out from behind her mother. "Don't be nervous." He whispered in her ear causing her to break out into a small small. He put his arm around her and watched as everyones eyes settled on the small teenage girl.

"Dani these are your grandparents. This lovely lady is your Grandma Carole, the old bald guy is Burt. The short guy with the glasses is Hiram and the insanely tall African American is Leroy." Finn said in a joking manner at his in-laws. They all knew not to take him seriously. "Everyone this is Dani."

Dani took in all the people around her. _Her_ family. "Hi." She said shyly.

Carole came forward right away and wrapped her arms around the nervous girl. "Hello there sweetheart!" She said through her tears. They were tears of happiness of course. "It's so good to finally meet you. We've been waiting a long time."

Dani released a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, a sigh of relief. "It's nice to meet you to Grandma."

Carole pulled away and Dani found herself in the arms of Burt. Dani found herself really liking his protective hugs. He didn't say much, just kissed her forehead and whispered hi to her.

"You look just like you Mom when she was your age." Hiram said as he squeezed her tightly. "So much like her."

Finally Leroy came forward for his turn and he lifted her right off the ground. Dani giggled a little and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "Good to meet you Grandpa." Dani said.

He pulled away and Dani noticed the tears in his eyes. She couldn't believe it. This was the guy who had put the fear of God into her father as a teenager? He seemed like a big old softy.

"Good to finally meet you to Angel-girl." Leroy said, not even bothering to wipe away the tears streaming from his eyes.

Dani had to smile at the nickname. Her Mom had told her that he had a nickname for everyone. Rachel was 'Peanut', Finn was 'The Boy', Chris was 'Little Man', Audrey was 'Princess' and now Dani had her own as well. It made her feel even more like a part of the family.

"So shall we move this into the living room?" Rachel suggested as everyone turned to see Finn and Rachel both holding eachother, watching over the scene in pure happiness.

Everyone agreed and soon Chris and Audrey joined them. Chris somehow convinced Leroy and Hiram to watch him play with his newest video game while Audrey made herself comfortable on Burt's lap and promptly fell asleep soon afterwards. Carole sat next to Dani who was seated next to Finn and Rachel on the long couch. She wanted to get to know everything about her eldest grandchild.

"So Dani, tell me more about you. What do you like? What's your favorite color? Who's your favorite band?" Carole rattled off.

Finn laughed at his mother. "Mom slow down and let her talk."

"Sorry." Carole apologized quickly.

Dani laughed and squeezed her grandmother's hand. "There's not really much to know. I like pretty much any musical, I love watching sports especially football and basketball. I got pretty decent grades at school and I'm hoping now that I'm back in, I will be able to continue that trend. My favorite colors are pink, purple and blue, I can't choose just one. And as far as bands go I really love Jimmy Eat World, pretty much the old classic rock stuff."

"You sound a lot like your Dad, I'm kind of surprised. I always imagined any daughter of Rachel's being exactly like her." Carole laughed.

"Well I do like musicals and I love to sing and perform in general, so in that sense I'm a lot like her."

Carole smiled and looked over at Rachel who was smiling as well. "She's delightful."

Burt who had been listening to the conversation intently nodded along. "Yeah Finn, Rachel count yourselves lucky. You've got 3 amazing kids."

"We know." Finn stated proudly of his family.

"Anybody here?" A man's voice called out.

"In here Kurt." Rachel yelled to her brother-in-law and best friend. "Did you bring Blaine and Jamie?"

Kurt walked in followed by the two and that answered Rachel's question. "So when do I get to meet my newest niece?" Kurt asked excitedly, nearly bouncing on his heels.

Dani giggled at the man. She liked him already. "That would be me."

Kurt looked towards the girl and did a double take between her and Rachel. "My god there's two of them."

Finn smirked as Blaine howled in laughter behind his husband. Rachel and Dani just rolled their eyes playfully at Kurt's shocked expression.

Kurt finally broke free from his stupor and immediately bounded over to the girl. "It's so nice to finally meet you Dani." He looked her up and down for a minute. "I can already tell you've got more style than your parents combined, I believe we will get along just fine."

Dani laughed. "Thanks but Mom's the one who picked out this outfit, well at least the skirt."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Kurt looked over at Rachel with a knowing look. "I see you're passing your high school skirt fetish onto your daughter. You should be ashamed Miss. Berry."

"Hudson." Rachel corrected. "I haven't been Berry in a long time Kurt, you know that."

"It was a joke Princess, relax." Kurt said.

Dani laughed, enjoying the banter between the two. Kurt was already turning into one of her favorite people.

Blaine stepped forward holding a little boy who bore a strong resemblance to him. She took that to be Jamie. "I'm your Uncle Blaine, and this is your cousin James or Jamie as most people call him." The little boy buried his head in his father's shoulder. "Sorry he's a little shy."

Dani shrugged. "It's no problem, I'm pretty sure I was doing the same thing when I first met everyone here. It's good to meet you both." Now that Dani looked she thought Blaine looked familiar. "Do you happen to be the guy who starred in that Harry Potter musical a couple years ago?"

Blaine laughed. "That would be me. I work backstage now, mostly doing directing and some choreography. Kurt works back stage as the costume designer for a couple shows."

"Wow that's amazing." Dani said clearly impressed. She was surrounded by Broadway stars and she loved every minute of it.

"Is everyone ready for dinner?" Rachel asked after things had settled down once again and people were engaged in light chit chatter here and there.

"I for one could eat a horse. That plane food did nothing for me." Burt said earning a laugh from everyone as he rubbed his stomach for emphasis.

"Grandpa, Mommy says that eating horses is bad." Audrey scolded.

"I'm pretty sure your Mommy thinks eating animals is bad in general." Leroy smirked over at his daughter who just shook her head at the two.

"Sorry if I'm trying to raise my children to like their veggies. It's proving to be an impossible feat given who their father is." Rachel laughed as she hit her husband's chest playfully.

Finn just shrugged. "Not my fault they've got the genes of a carnivore."

Everyone got settled in their seats around the big dining room table as Rachel and Finn set out the food.

"Got room for 2 more?" Everyone turned around to see Shelby standing there with a now very grown up Beth.

"Hi Mom!" Rachel exclaimed happily as she hugged the woman. "Hey Bethy, you look beautiful." Rachel said to her sister.

"Thanks Honey, now when do I get to meet my granddaughter?" Shelby asked immediately. She found the girl immediately sitting next to Finn and Audrey at the other end of the table.

"Dani, this is Shelby, my Mom. Chris and Audrey call her Nana." Rachel explained.

Dani nodded and hugged the older woman. She couldn't help noticing the strong resemblance to her Mom. Her Nana could pass for Rachel's older sister. Dani grinned inwardly at the seemingly good genes in her family.

Dani then turned to look at a girl a few years older than herself. The girl was blonde and tall with green eyes. She looked nothing like Rachel or Shelby and it was then that Dani remembered Rachel saying something about Beth being adopted.

"You must be Beth." Dani said.

"That I am." The blonde girl grinned. "I guess I'm your Aunt."

"Do you want me to call you that?" Dani asked with a laugh.

"Please don't, it makes me sound old. And it's weird considering your only a few years younger then me." Beth said as she took her turn to hug the newest addition to her family.

"You guys got here just in time." Finn said. "We are just about to eat."

"Sounds great." Shelby said. "We're both starved."

They spent the rest of the night talking with Dani like she had always been there and Dani loved every minute of it. Family was an amazing thing.

Ok so no real cliffhanger there, just kind of a fluffy chapter. Next chapter things start to get more intense as Finn and Rachel begin to do some digging into the past and figure out just what went on exactly after Dani's birth. Stay tuned!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

After a few days thing began to quiet down again. All the relatives had gone home and Dani had been introduced to almost all of Finn and Rachel's friends who lived in the area. Santana had made her a promise to sit down with her very soon and tell her stories about her parents in high school. Dani couldn't wait. She found it hard to believe that after the torment Santana had apparently put both Rachel and Finn through in high school, that they were now best friends. It was strange the way things worked out sometimes.

It was a Tuesday when the kids were all at school and both Finn and Rachel had the day off, that the two decided it was time to do some digging. They needed answers and knew just where to begin. Finn called their old friend Sam Evans who now worked for the NYPD. True he didn't usually work on missing persons cases, but he still might be able to give them some indication to where they should start.

"Finn, Rachel long time no see." Sam greeted his long time friends. He bumped fists with Finn and kissed Rachel's cheek. "What can I do for you two? Not that I wasn't happy to get your call."

Finn smirked. "Not like you got anything better to do, it's only New York. Nothing bad ever happens here." Finn joked.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Seriously, what did you guys need?"

After elbowing her husband in the ribs, Rachel responded. "Well as you might have heard from Santana or Brittany, we found our missing daughter."

Sam nodded and gave them a huge smile. "I did hear that, congratulations. I can't wait to get the chance to meet her. I would have come over the other night with everyone else, but I was working the nightshift. How is she?"

"She's great. She's beautiful, kind, smart, basically everything we could have ever hoped for. She's adjusting really well both at home and in school." Rachel said.

"That's great to hear. So many times you hear of kids straight out of foster homes having a really hard time adapting to living with a normal family." Sam said.

Finn nodded. "Yeah we were kind of worried about that, but Dani seems to be doing just fine all things considering. But we do actually need your help with something."

"As I suspected." Sam laughed. "What is it?"

"Well I'm sure you've heard about the circumstances surrounding Dani's birth and her kidnapping." Rachel said and Sam nodded in response. "We need your help figuring out what happened that night. There's no formal adoption papers of any kind, so we don't know the backgrounds of the people who took her in. We buried someone elses child obviously, and we don't even know whose it was."

Sam nodded in understanding, taking the information in. "I don't know what to tell you exactly, it's not exactly my area of expertise."

"We know." Finn said. "We were just hoping you'd be able to give us an idea of where to start. Police involvement may be necessary, though the people who took Dani into their home for the first 4 years are dead."

"I would start with social services." Sam said. "There may be no record of a legal adoption on behalf of the parents, but social services would at least have a record of her once they took her in."

"Makes sense." Rachel said. "Would you be able to run background checks on the people who took her. See if they had a criminal record?"

Sam nodded. "I can do that, or have another officer do it."

"Great, so we have a starting point." Finn said in relief.

"Good luck with social services, those people aren't always the easiest to deal with." Sam rolled his eyes. "They won't release any information to you unless you can prove you are a relative."

"Well we just had a DNA test run, so that will have to suffice." Rachel said and Sam agreed that it should be enough.

"So what were the names of these people that Dani lived with?" He asked.

"Matthews...I think the first names were Jacob and Brenda." Rachel said.

"Hmm pretty generic names. Any middle names?" He asked pulling out a pen and paper.

"I don't know, I'll ask Dani and get back to you right away." Rachel said mentally cursing herself for forgetting to ask for their full names.

"Don't worry, if you get the information from social services, they should have the names in their report on Dani." Sam explained. "I can get it from them."

"That would be great Sam, we haven't exactly told Dani that we are looking into her past." Finn said. "I don't know if it would upset her, but she's just gotten settled and we don't want to confuse her more."

"That's probably a good idea." Sam agreed. "It could get pretty messy."

"Anyways, Finn and I should get going." Rachel said. "Social services is our next stop."

"Ok guys, just let me know as soon as you know more, and I will do my best to help you." Sam said.

"Thanks man, it means a lot." Finn smiled in appreciation and shook Sam's hand.

"Just think of it as pay back for you guys helping me out back when I was almost homeless." Sam smiled.

Then it beamed on Rachel. _Homeless._ "Finn, we need to try the homeless shelter to. Those people have known Dani for the last 6 months, they might know things that we don't."

"I don't know Rach, those people barely talked to me when I asked, something about betraying Dani's confidence or something." Finn said remembering the conversation he had had with the women at the shelter.

"Yes but that was before we knew that Dani was our daughter, they might be more willing to talk now." Rachel, ever the optimist, said.

Finn shrugged. "I guess maybe."

"Come on Finn, we have to at least try." Rachel pleaded.

'Ok, it would give me a chance to see those kids again. I haven't been in awhile."

"Exactly, it's a win-win." Rachel smiled. "Come on." She grabbed his hand leading him away from the police station and hailed a cab.

"So what is our next stop?" Finn asked. "The homeless shelter isn't too far away."

Rachel nodded in agreement. "Lets go."

A few minutes later the cab pulled up outside and after giving the driver his money, the couple walked inside hand in hand.

Rachel looked around the small building that house so many people as Finn led her in to a small room.

"This is where the women and children stay. Then men are across the hall." He explained.

Rachel gasped. This was where her daughter had lived for months. The room looked like a small gymnasium with the hardwood floor, plain beige colored walls. "Is this an old school?" Rachel asked.

Finn nodded. "I think so, this probably would have been a gym at one time."

"I..I can't believe this is where Dani lived for so long. It's so dreery." Rachel shivered at the thought.

Finn nodded sadly. "It is, but it's better than another alternative, which was sleeping in the streets. Besides some of these people took her in and watched over her. She had people who cared about her here as opposed to those in the foster care home."

"I guess." She smiled when some of the young kids recognized Finn and ran over to them.

"Mr. Hudson, Mr. Hudson." They screamed in joy.

"We thought you were never coming back." One little girl said.

"Sorry guys." Finn apologized hugging the children. "And Becca, I promise I will come back soon and we will sing songs again."

Becca nodded happily with his answer and then looked at Rachel. "Who's that?" She asked.

Rachel smiled at the little girl and bend down to her level. "My name's Rachel."

"You're pretty. You look like my friend Dani, but she's not here no more." Becca said sadly.

Finn gave Becca a small smile. "Dani came to live with me, she's fine Becca."

Becca lit up, glad to hear that the girl she considered her big sister was ok.

"Becca, is your Mommy here? I'd like to talk to her if that's ok." Finn asked.

Becca nodded and ran off obediently to find her mother.

"Becca's Mom is one of the ladies I talked to last time I was here. She's the one who took Dani under her wing when Dani moved in here." Finn explained.

"Oh ok." Rachel said. She couldn't help the slight feeling of jealousy that crept up on her. This woman had known her daughter longer than Rachel had and was the one who acted like a mother to her, when Rachel should have been.

"Don't worry, she's a nice woman. She was there for Dani when it was needed, so for that we should be grateful." Finn reminded his wife, sensing her envy.

"I know you're right. I promise to behave." Rachel said, and Finn gave her an eye roll and wink.

Sorry this took so long. I've had a bit of writer's block with this chapter, but here you go. I'm not particularly proud of it, but it will get better :) Please read and review.


	12. Chapter 12

I'm so sorry this took so long to post guys. I've been dealing with a lot of stuff lately and then it took me forever to write this chapter. I've re-written it at least 3 times, and believe me the first 2 drafts were much different than this one. Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please read and review! Reading the reviews makes my day sometimes...literally :)

Chapter 12

"Mrs. Holloway, hi. I don't know if you remember me, I'm Finn Hudson." Finn held his hand out to the women who had just approached him.

"You were here looking for Dani that one day." The older woman remembered as she shook his hand. "I hope you found her, she hasn't been around here in a while. I'm hoping she went back to the foster care home and something worse didn't happen."

Finn instantly felt bad for the woman who had been like a second mother to his daughter. Dani had basically just picked up her things and left the shelter, she didn't really tell anyone where she was going. Finn knew that a lot of people came and went from the shelter on a regular basis, but Dani had considered the shelter her home and some of the people who lived there actually cared about her.

"I'm sorry, I guess you didn't know, Dani's actually been living with us." Finn gestured, pointing to him and Rachel. "This is my wife, Rachel. Rachel this is Mrs. Holloway." Finn introduced the women who smiled politely at one another.

Mrs. Holloway breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god, I've been worried about her. That girl is tough, but those streets are tougher. I'm glad she's not living out there again. Can I ask why she's living with you?"

Rachel immediately jumped in. "To make a long story short, we found out that Dani is actually our daughter."

Mrs. Holloway's jaw dropped in shock. "And you had no idea Mr. Hudson?"

Finn shook his head. "Not in the slightest. Rachel was actually the first one to realize something was up after she first met Dani and felt some kind of connection to her. Our stories seemed to match up, we had her tested, the tests came back positive and here we are."

"Wow, that's some story." Mrs. Holloway smiled. "But good for her. Dani has needed a stable family in her life."

Finn and Rachel both nodded, agreeing with her immensely. "There is actually a reason we are here." Finn explained.

The woman looked intrigued. "Ok?"

"Well we know that Dani was living with us here for a significant amount of time, and we just need to know that in all that time she was here, was there anything fishy that happened?" Finn asked.

Mrs. Holloway thought back. "Not really. She came here last year after she dropped out of school and had lived on the streets for a few weeks. Nobody knew anything about her, they all just assumed she was another runaway. There are a lot of kids who run away from those foster care centres. The only thing I found strange was that nobody came looking for her; but there again, there are so many kids in the system that it's hard to keep track of them all, and sometimes the ones who run away are just left alone, especially if it's a recurring thing.

Finn nodded. "So I've heard, we are going to run to the Social Services office next. We just thought we'd come here first to see if there's anything we missed"

The women shook her head. "Not that I can think of, I'm sorry."

"That's ok, thank you for your help." Finn smiled at her appreciatively. "Tell the kids, I will be back to see them soon."

The woman nodded happily, but stopped them just as they were about to leave. "I'm sorry, I just have to ask, are you Rachel Berry, the Broadway star? You look so familiar, I'm sure I've seen your picture somewhere."

Rachel smiled and nodded. "Yes I am."

Mrs. Holloway beamed. "I'm glad, Dani's had her wish come true and then some."

Rachel looked confused. "I'm sorry?"

"All she ever talked about when she was here was about Broadway and her idol Rachel Berry. The girl wanted to meet you more than anything, and now she finds out your her mother, that's some amazing story right there. It'll be a great chapter in her autobiography someday. That girl is going to be a star."

Rachel laughed. "I guess it is. Thank you, and thank you for taking such good care of my daughter for all those months. And about the star thing...I think so too." Rachel smiled as she all of a sudden pulled the woman into a hug, startling her.

"You're very welcome dear, Dani is a part of the family. I care about her a lot, and Becca looks at her like she's a big sister. Make sure she comes by to visit with you some time Mr. Hudson."

Finn nodded. "I will. We really should get going though, Rach."

Rachel looked at her watch and noticed the time. "You're right. It was great to meet you, and I hope to see you again soon."

Mrs. Holloway nodded and told Becca that Finn was leaving. The little girl ran to the man and hugged his leg tightly, the same way Audrey liked to do. Finn laughed and patted her head before leaning down to her level.

"You know Becca, I've got a little girl a couple years younger than you, maybe you'd like to come over and play some time? You and your Mommy, I'm sure Dani would love it."

Becca beamed excitedly. "Can we Mommy? Please?" She pleaded.

Her mother laughed and nodded. "Sometime sweetie. Now say goodbye."

The 4 said their final goodbyes and Finn and Rachel left.

"You know, as sad and dreery as that place is, I'm glad that Dani was in the hands of people who truly cared for her." Rachel said.

Finn nodded. "It's not the type of place I'd like to live, but even though those people have so little, they don't think about material things. They're grateful for what they do have."

"Love." Rachel said knowing what he meant.

"And plenty of it." Finn added.

The couple managed to get a taxi relatively easily and set off for their next destination...Social Services. The building was older, but well cared for. There were pictures of various children all over the walls and little cubicles filled the area. They walked up to the reception desk.

"Excuse, we need help looking for someone." Finn said.

The receptionist looked at him oddly and said "ok, who exactly?"

"That's the thing, we don't have a name." He explained. "We just recently got our daughter back into our lives after she was stolen from us as a baby, and we'd like to know a bit more about her background if that's possible."

"I'm sorry, we can't help you if you don't have conclusive proof that she is your daughter. It's considered confidential information."

Rachel nodded in understanding. "Look..." She red the woman's nametag, Martha. "Is this conclusive enough?" She pulled out the DNA results from her purse. "It proves this girl is our child, and we know she was brought here when she was 4 years old."

Martha looked the paper over, seeing the name Santana Lopez listed as the doctor who watched over the test. She knew that name, Santana Lopez was a big name in the New York City medical field, and with her reputation you didn't mess with her. "This is enough." She said quietly.

She looked the name Danielle Matthews in her system as per the instruction of Finn and Rachel and soon enough she came up with something. "Ok I have the name of her social worker. Her name is Trish Hargrove, and you're in luck, she just got back from her break." She's right over there. Martha pointed to a tall blonde woman standing and talking to another colleague.

"Thank you." Finn and Rachel said simultaneously before walking over.

"Excuse us." Finn said interrupting their discussion. "Are you Trish Hargrove?"

The blonde turned and looked at the couple. "I am, can I ask who you are?"

"My name is Finn Hudson and this is my wife. We believe you might know something about our daughter, Daniella Hudson...or rather Danielle Matthews as you may have known her."

Trish's jaw dropped. "You're Dani's birthparents?"


	13. Chapter 13

So I know I'm going to start sounding like a broken record, but I'm VERY sorry this took so long to post. I've been busy with finals and work and this is the first day in a long while where I've been able to sit down and write. I hope you enjoy the chapter, it kind of gets the plot moving along. Please read and review :)

Chapter 13

"So I take it you remember her then?" Rachel asked after the social worker, Trish, had repeated Dani's name again.

Trish nodded. "Of course, she was one of my first cases. I cared a great deal about her. I still do."

Finn looked at the woman in surprise. "Really? Is that why you let her wonder the streets for weeks after she ran away until she ended up in a shelter, where we found her I might add."

The woman looked up at him startled by the outburst. "I didn't let her do anything. Dani wasn't happy where she was. She wasn't happy in any of the homes she was placed in. When she ran away the last time, we tried to find her and take her back, but she refused, put up a big fight and ran off. We lost track of her. I'm glad to hear she's ok though."

"You didn't know where she was but you gave up on her all the same?" Rachel asked sounding appalled at how much of a failure the system was.

"No that wasn't it. We didn't give up, we have been looking for her, but she was too difficult to find. She's a smart girl, too smart for her own good really, and much too independent. She wanted to be on her own and that was that. If we had found her again, we would have gotten her back, but she would have run away again." Trish explained. "I'm very sorry, but I'm very glad she found you two. She's always wondered about her birthparents ever since she was a little girl."

"Really?" Rachel asked.

Trish nodded. "But since there wasn't even a record of her birth or legal paperwork for adoption, we had no way of finding you."

Finn and Rachel both nodded in understanding. That was all things they already knew. "Do you have any information on the people who she lived with for the first few years of her life? We are trying to figure out what happened the day she was born." Finn explained.

He and Rachel then proceeded to tell Trish the story. She gasped when she heard the details and had to fight tears for the couple and all they had been through. "Of course I'll help any way I can."

"Thank you." They both said gratefully in unison.

Trish pulled Dani's file and flipped through it, pulling out a picture of a 2 year old little girl with long wavy dark brown hair, huge brown eyes and a wide smile complete with dimples. It was Dani for sure. She was surrounded by 2 people, neither of whom looked too happy to be in the picture. It looked to be her birthday.

"These were the people taking care of her, and who I would guess took her from you. These are the Matthews." Trish said. "They were caught up in drugs and gangs and that's why they were killed. When we found Dani, she was checked for signs of abuse and forced drug use, but came back clean. There were no bruises or anything that would suggest she was physically abused by the couple, she wasn't shy around people and she was a beautiful loving little girl who had no idea of what kinds of trouble the people looking after her were involved in."

Finn and Rachel both breathed a sigh of relief. At least her so-called adoptive parents had never harmed her.

"Did they gang members ever come after Dani?" Finn asked nervously. That was the last thing they needed to be caught up in.

Trish shook her head. "We have no reason to believe they even knew of Dani's existence."

"Thank god." Rachel exclaimed.

"The Matthews did have a criminal past which is why I'm guessing they never filed any formal paper work for adoption. No judge in their right mind would have given custody of a child to people with their past." Trish said.

"We just want to know why they would kidnap our daughter and whose baby did we bury?" Rachel said.

"I understand that Mrs. Hudson. I don't really have much more to offer you though." Trish stated.

"Please, is there anything...an employment record...something that could tell us about their past." Finn pleaded.

Trish flipped through the file when she noticed another name. "Mr. Matthew's cell phone records that the police had indicated that he made a lot of contact with a well known master criminal by the name of Jewfro. Does that ring a bell for either of you?"

"Ben Israel." Finn whispered to Rachel whose eyes had widened to twice their regular size at the mention of her former high school stalker's name.

"I'm sorry?" Trish asked.

"Jacob Ben Israel...his alias was Jewfro." Finn explained. "He had an obsession with Rachel and a hatred of me because we were in love. He used to follow her everywhere."

"He was very creepy, but I never thought of him as a criminal." Rachel said. "Do you think he's behind this?"

"It's certainly possible Mrs. Hudson. He's well known to police, but as I said he's a mastermind and a genius at that. The police know of him, but his personal record is clean. He hires people to do his dirty work. Now that we actually have a proper name for him, maybe something can be done."

"Finn do you think Jacob had anything to do with this?" Rachel asked her husband.

"I don't know Rach, I think it's possible, I mean he did hate me." Finn reminded her.

Rachel nodded. "You're right, but he used to claim he was in love with me. Why would he have our daughter taken if he was in love with me?"

"Because he wanted me to be miserable and he wanted you to have his children?" Finn shrugged. "It kind of makes sense. And who knows how loonie this guy has gone over the years. We haven't seen him since graduation."

"H..he came to one of my shows when I was pregnant with Dani." Rachel gasped as she remembered. She had found it strange that he had randomly shown up to one of her shows, but then again he was known to be a follower of hers so she had never really thought too much of it until now. "He knew I was pregnant, even if I didn't really look it. He said that I was glowing."

Finn clenched his fists, wanting to find Ben Israel right now and beat him to death for causing so much pain to his family. "We have to call Sam." Finn said, and Rachel agreed right away.

"Ms. Hargrove, thank you for all you're help. We're sorry for the outburst before." Rachel apologized as she stood up from her chair.

Trish shrugged it off and offered the couple a smile. "I'm just glad that Dani got her happy ending. Please tell her I say hi."

"We will, and it was nice to meet you. Thank you for telling us a little more about our daughter as a little girl." Finn smiled shaking the woman's hand.

"You're very welcome, she was...or is a marvelous girl. Very sweet." Trish said. "It was my pleasure to help, and my job."

With that the couple left the building, ready to get home to their kids and call it a day. It had been very productive, and they had gotten a lot of information they would need. Finn called Sam and told him to look into Jewfro's history, to which Sam was more than happy to comply.

"We're getting there Rach, we're really getting there." He pulled her close to him as they waited for a taxi and he kissed her forehead as she smiled happily and nodded.


	14. Chapter 14

Hello all! I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and a Happy New Year. The holidays were crazy for me, so sorry about the lack of updating. This fic will be coming to an end soon unfortunately, but I have put the first chapter of my newest fic, A Matter of Pride up. Please take a look if you're interested. Hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always, please read and review :)

Chapter 14

A week had passed since Finn and Rachel had met up with Trish. The police were now investigating the case, being lead by Sam. It was taking a bit longer than they had hoped because Ben Israel was a little more clever and conniving than they originally expected. He had people who had people who did his jobs for him. He was involved in an organized crime and drug ring, that was one thing that was known, and he was also very rich.

The past week had been a busy one for the Hudson family. Finn and Rachel were both busy with their jobs, Chris and Dani had school and Audrey had pre-school. Finn had decided that it would be a good idea to have a family day, something they hadn't really done in awhile just the 5 of them. They had started out by taking the kids to the park, and then to the toy store, which ended up costing Finn an arm and a leg. Audrey and Dani had both inherited Rachel's eyes while Chris had his dimpled grin meaning all three kids could use their features to get their parents to cave in to give them what they wanted. Audrey had more Barbies than she knew what to do with. Chris had 4 new action figures to add to his already extensive collection, and Dani had added yet more musicals to her Blu-ray collection. These kids would be the death of him.

It was then decided that they would either go to a movie or bowling. When none of the kids could decided on one movie they all wanted to see, Finn and Rachel both vetoed that idea and instead they went to the bowling alley.

Rachel took Chris and Audrey to get shoes, while Finn and Dani gathered enough balls for the 5 of them to play. They had to get a mixture of sizes, which proved difficult.

"So Dani, have you ever been bowling before?" Finn asked his daughter.

Dani shook her head. "This is my first time, but I'm really excited. I've always wanted to bowl. I probably will suck at it though. Chris told me he can bowl a 100."

Finn rolled his eyes and laughed at his son's embellishment. "He can barely get the ball down the lane even with the bumper. He's 6."

"Oh." Dani laughed. "I should've figured."

"You know, I took your Mom bowling on our first date." Finn said. It was what he considered their first date, even if he was with Quinn at the time. He had felt a connection to Rachel that night unlike any other.

"Really?" Dani asked, her eyes lighting up. She loved hearing stories about her parents past. "That's so cute."

"It was. She was adorable." Finn remembered. "It was her first time bowling to. She had a lot of problems but I showed her how it was done and she actually got a strike."

"Maybe I will then too." Dani smiled. "Could you show me how?"

"Of course." Finn said. "I showed Audrey, I showed Chris, it would only be fair that I show you too."

"Thanks Daddy!" Dani giggled and jumped into her father's arms.

Finn's eyes watered a bit. He couldn't get over the feeling of amazement he got when she called him Daddy. It made him feel so happy and proud and loved. He may have missed the first 13 years, but he would make sure to be there for the rest.

Dani pulled back from the hug and wiped her eyes happily. Finn smiled down at her.

"What?" Dani asked noticing the look of awe on her father's face.

Finn shrugged. "It's nothing, you just remind me so much of your mother. I swear looking at you is like looking at her when she was your age. Your grandfathers say the same thing."

Dani laughed. "Thanks. Being that you love Mom so much, I'll take that as a compliment."

"Oh believe me it is. I'm going to be chasing the boys away from you very soon."

"What are you going to scare them away with a baseball bat?" Dani joked.

"No, just put the fear of God in them. Nobody messes with my little girl." Finn said in all seriousness.

"Whatever you say Dad." Dani just patted his arm and walked over to where Rachel, Chris, and Audrey were getting their shoes on.

"Did you get all the balls?" Rachel asked, seeing them coming back empty handed.

Finn nodded. "Their all there babe."

"Good." Rachel said. "Whose first?"

"I think Dani should go first cause she's never bowled before." Chris said. "It's only fair."

"I think that's a great idea Christopher." Rachel agreed, smiling at her son.

Finn quickly showed Dani had to position her arms and to line up with the center of the lane. There wasn't really a chance for a gutter ball, because of the bumpers used for Audrey and Chris.

Dani through the ball down the lane and got a strike right away. She screamed and jumped up and down excitedly. "I did it!"

"Way to go sweetheart!" Rachel exclaimed. "You're a natural."

"I would definitely want you on my team everytime." Finn readily agreed.

"Yeah but I feel like it's cheating with the bumpers." Dani said.

"We'll play without them sometime honey, I promise." Finn assured her. "Then you can prove how good you really are."

Chris and Audrey then took turns. Neither of the balls really went fast enough to knock over all the pins. Chris managed 2 but Audrey got none the first time. She ran over to Finn crying.

Finn assured her that it was fine and that he would help her next round.

Finn and Rachel then went. Rachel somehow managed to get a spare, pouting a bit, but still happy nonetheless. Finn got a strike.

"Well what do you know, like father like daughter." Rachel laughed. "Seems like you've got some competition Dani."

They continued bowling for the next half hour, eventually growing tired of that after Finn won with Dani in a close second. The kids spotted the arcade and right away begged for some money to play the games.

As Finn watched Dani and Rachel tackle the dancing game, he heard his cell phone ringing. Seeing who it was, he answered immediately.

"Sam?" He asked concerned.

"Finn, are you with Rachel?" He asked sounding a little flustered.

"Yeah man, what's up? Did you find out anything about Jewfro?" Finn asked,

"We did. I think you and Rachel might want to come down to the station. We need to talk." Sam said.

"Ok, we'll just drop the kids off at Santana's place and then we'll be right there." With that he hung up the phone and gathered up his family.


	15. Chapter 15

Alright here's the last chapter before the epilogue. Thanks to everyone for the support throughout the story. I've had so much fun writing it. Please, if you want to, read my newest story. I will be posting more chapters in the next week or so. :)

Chapter 15

"Finn what's going on?" Rachel asked after seeing the strange look on her husband's face as he walked back to where she was sitting, watching the kids play. It was a look she couldn't decipher. A cross between worry, panic and anxiousness. "What's wrong?"

"We need to take the kids to Santana's. That was Sam on the phone, he wants us to meet him at the station to talk." Finn explained.

"About what?" Rachel asked, now feeling uneasy herself.

Finn shook his head. "I don't know."

"Ok, I'll gather up the kids and you go get the car." Rachel instructed to which Finn agreed.

A little while later they pulled up in front of a large apartment complex just a few streets over from the police station where Sam worked.

"Mommy why are we at Auntie Tana's?" Audrey asked as her eyelids dropped tiredly.

"You guys are going to stay with her for a couple hours while Daddy and I go talk to Uncle Sam." Rachel explained to her youngest daughter, who was on the verge of passing out.

"But Uncle Sam's a police man. Did you do something bad?" Chris asked curiously.

Finn shook his head. "No bud, we just need to go talk to him about some grown up things."

They both looked at Dani who looked uneasy. She knew they were talking about her, but she didn't say anything because she didn't want to scare her younger siblings. "Come on guys, it'll be fun. Aunt Santana promised to tell us about Mommy and Daddy when they were in high school the next time we came over." Dani reminded them.

Chris looked at his parents with excitement in his little eyes. "What are we waiting for then? I can use this as blackmail someday."

Finn's eyes widened. "Chris, where did you learn that term?"

"Uncle Puck. He was talking about blackmailing one of his poker friends or something." Chris shrugged.

"He spends _way _too much time around Puck." Rachel said through gritted teeth.

Finn nodded in agreement before getting Audrey, who was now fully asleep, out of the car, Rachel following behind with Chris and Dani.

They knocked a few times hoping that Santana was home. It was her night off from the hospital so she would either be here or at the bar with Brittany. Luckily for them she answered after their 4th knock.

"Geez can't you hold your horses? I was on the toilet." She said as she threw open the door, not expecting to see the Hudson family. "Oops, sorry guys. I thought you were some annoying neighbors of mine."

Finn smirked. It was typical Santana, she never could keep her mouth shut. "Sorry San, we tried to call but you never answered your phone."

"What's up?" Santana asked. "What's the big emergency that caused used to show up here with the kids unannounced before going to your brother?" She wasn't mad, just curious.

"We got a call from Sam asked us to meet up with him to talk, Kurt and Blaine are out of town, so we thought maybe you could watch the kids." Rachel explained. "It would only be for an hour or 2 and then you could go out with Brittany if that's what your planning."

"I don't mind watching them. I was just going to curl up on the couch with a cliched rom-com anyway." Santana said with a laugh.

"Thanks San." Rachel smiled at her friend. She was so thankful that she and Santana had put behind their differences and had both grown up.

"No problem hobbit. You and Frankenteen leave the Finchel babies with me and go on with your business."

Finn laughed. "Thanks Satan." He handed Audrey over to her. "She fell asleep on the car ride over, so she should be out for the night. Chris seems to think you're going to give him some sort of secrets that he can use to blackmail me and Rach."

"Blackmail?" Santana questioned. "Let me guess, Puck?"

Finn nodded. "Yeah. Anyways you know are numbers, the numbers of poison control and all that right?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "It's not the first time I've taken care of these kids Hudson."

"Right." Rachel said. "Ok well we will see you later then. You kids be good."

"Yes Mom." Chris and Dani both agreed.

Before they could leave, Dani pulled her parents aside to talk. "I know this is about me isn't it?"

"Yeah sweetie." Rachel said brushing her daughter's bangs out of her eyes. "It will be fine, try not to worry."

Dani nodded. "Promise to tell me everything when you get home?"

"We would never lie to you sweetheart." Finn assured her. "Have some fun tonight with Santana and make sure Chris and Audrey doesn't suspect anything ok?"

"Deal." Dani agreed, hugging both her parents before walking into Santana's apartment.

15 minutes later they arrived at the police station to find Sam already waiting for them.

"What did you find out?" Finn asked getting down to business right away.

"We have Jewfro in custody." Sam said.

"For what?" Rachel asked. "I thought you couldn't connect him with anything."

Sam nodded. "We couldn't for the longest time, but we did some digging, got the FBI involved and it turns out he is a drug lord. He leads one of the most violent drug gangs in the city."

"Jewfro a drug dealer?" Finn gasped. He would never have suspected him of that. He had obviously changed since high school.

"It's always the ones you least expect Finn." Sam explained. "We brought him in here and were keeping in here on the charges of drug trafficking and dealing. We haven't charged him with anything involving Dani yet, but we do suspect that he had something to do with it."

"Why though?" Rachel asked. "What would he want with our daughter?"

"It doesn't have to do with Dani so much as you Rachel." Sam said. "He wanted you, and when he couldn't have you and Finn could, he went off the deep end. I think he figured that if he couldn't have his idea of a perfect life with you, he didn't want Finn to either."

Anger balled up in Finn's chest. It was just as he suspected. Jacob hated him and wanted to get back at him through his daughter. "I'll kill the bastard."

"Finn stop." Rachel said grabbing hold of his hand to gently rub his knuckles in an effort to try and calm him down.

"Rachel, you remember you said that he knew you were pregnant?" Sam asked.

Rachel nodded. "When he visited me after my show one night when I was pregnant with Dani. He said I was glowing. I was barely even showing at the time."

"He was obviously stalking you then." Sam said. "Probably had been since graduation. He's obssessed. We searched his penthouse and found pictures of you everywhere, even magazine cut outs of other women's bodies with your face pasted on."

"That's disgusting." Rachel winced. "He's a pervert."

"Always was." Finn muttered under his breath.

"So how does he connect to the Matthews?" Rachel asked.

"They were under his payroll for a little while. Turns out Mrs. Matthews was pregnant right around the time you were Rachel. Her baby's birth record was never found though. I think something happened to Mrs. Matthews that night that caused her to go into labour and when the baby was born, it died mysteriously. I'm guessing that that is the baby you guys buried, the one you mistook for your daughter. My suspicion is that it was all planned and that Jacob hired the Matthews to take Dani in place of their deceased daughter, and he probably offered them a substantial amount of money to do it. They weren't exactly poor when they died."

Finn and Rachel both took a few moments to take it all in. It was almost too much to take, like a scene from a movie or something. "Is there anyway to prove all this?"

"We are doing all we can Finn." Sam assured his friend. "We will get him for this, I promise you if it's the last thing I do."

"Ok, what do we do in the mean time? Will there be a court date? Will Dani need to be there? I don't want her to have to relive everything she's been through." Rachel said in concern for her daughter. "She's already been through so much."

"Relax Rachel, I will do everything I can to make sure Dani is involved as little as possible. If it comes down to it, I will take her statement myself and have it recorded to play before a Judge." Sam said. "In the mean time you should both go home to your kids, all 3 of them." Sam smiled.

"We will. Thank you for everything Sam." Rachel said. "We will never be able to repay you for your help."

"Ya man, if there's anything we can do, just ask." Finn said, shaking Sam's hand.

"Well there is something you could do." Sam said with a grin on his face. "Finn you could be my best man and Rach, I'm sure Mercedes would love for you to be her maid of honor."

"You mean you're finally proposing to Mercedes!" Rachel exclaimed. "I'm so happy for you." She said giggling and jumping around like a teenager. "I'll help her plan the wedding."

"Rachel, she has to say yes first." Sam laughed as Rachel hugged him.

Finn hugged him to. "Consider the best man thing done. You were, after all, the best man at my wedding."

"Very true." Sam said. "I want the whole glee club to be involved, just like at your wedding, except with the kids now as well."

"That sounds amazing." Rachel said. "I can't wait!"


	16. Epilogue

Chapter 16 - Epilogue

6 Months Later...

The trial was over and Jacob Ben-Israel had been convicted on drug related charges, kidnapping charges, and also first degree murder in the deaths of the Matthews. He was now serving life in prison without the possibility of parole. Dani's statement had been required, but Sam had managed to get the judge to agree to allow her to be pre-recorded, so she wouldn't have to actually sit in court. It wasn't something that anyone wanted her to have to go through. Her statement had been what convinced the jury that Jacob was guilty on all counts and he was put away.

It was now June and summer vacation was just around the corner. Finn and Rachel had both decided to take a few weeks off and take the family on vacation to Disneyworld for a couple weeks. It would be their first big trip as a family since Dani had arrived, and they were taking the Hummel-Anderson family along as well.

The rest of the school year had been normal for the most part. Dani managed to keep up with all her classes and even excelled to the point of being an honors student. Finn and Rachel could not have been more proud of their daughter when she came home one day in early May to tell them she had been selected as the Valedictorian for the 8th grade class graduation. It was an honor given that she had been so far behind at the start of the year.

It was now the big day and Dani was beyond nervous. Rachel had offered to help her with her speech, but Dani didn't want it. She wouldn't even let her parents read what she had prepared as she wanted it to be a surprise for them.

"You ready?" Finn asked as he entered the room after knocking on her bedroom door and receiving permission to come in.

Dani shrugged. "I guess so."

"Still nervous?" Finn said sympathetically.

Dani nodded. "I don't really know why though, I don't usually get nervous when I go up on stage and it's not like these are just random people. These are my peers and friends, I've gone to school with them for a whole year almost."

"Maybe that's the problem?" Finn theorized. "If these weren't people you knew, you wouldn't care what they really thought."

"Maybe I'll just picture them in their underwear." Dani joked.

Finn's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Don't! Believe me, that never works and you end up looking like a fool...or at least that's what happened to me."

"You mean you actually did that?" Dani asked as she burst out laughing.

Finn nodded. "The first time I was ever up on stage when I was in second grade, my teacher told me to do that and I did. It ended up giving me nightmares for weeks afterwards. I never went on stage again until I joined the glee club in high school, and even then the only reason I got through it was because of your Mom and all the faith she had in me."

"Mom's pretty special huh?" Dani said as she sat down next to her father on her bed.

Finn nodded. "Very special. Actually there was something I wanted to tell you, but you can't tell anyone else, especially your mother."

Dani's eyes bulged with excitement. She loved secrets. "What?"

"I'm going to ask your Mom to marry me." Finn said and he even showed her the ring.

"Ugh Dad, I'd hate to ruin the moment, but aren't you guys already married?" Dani as confused.

Finn rolled his eyes with a nod. "I meant we're going to renew our vows. I just thought with everything that has happened over the last year, it might be kind of nice to do this...especially with you kids here."

Dani let out a squeak of excitement as she threw her arms around Finn. "I'm so happy for you guys. Think Mom will let me be a bridesmaid?"

"You can bet on it." Finn laughed and hugged her back. "So you swear you won't say anything?"

Dani nodded. "Scouts honor." She saluted.

"You were never in Scouts." Finn reminded her.

"It's just a saying...relax. I won't say anything. So when are you going to ask her?" Dani asked.

"Tonight at the party, in front of all our family and friends." Finn said.

"Aww that's so sweet. Mom will love being the center of attention." Dani giggled.

"You're not worried about it stealing your thunder are you?" Finn frowned.

"Dad, don't worry. I think it's a great idea. I'm not a little kid, you don't have to worry about me caring about it stealing my thunder." Dani laughed.

"Well you are Rachel Berry's daughter after all."

"I guess so." Dani smirked. "Now come on, we have to get going."

Finn let out a loud laugh as she dragged him from her room, completely forgetting that she still had to put on her dress.

"Alright now it is time for the Valedictorian speech." Principal McEntire said with a proud smile on his face. "This young lady has come a long way in one year, joining us as a new student this year. She was supposed to be in 7th grade this year, but with a lot of determination and strength she has managed to keep up with her fellow peers, and even to excel beyond all expectations. She is now at the top of her class and is involved heavily in the arts program, specifically Glee club. Please welcome, Daniella Hudson."

Dani stood up and walked to the stage feeling like a nervous wreck. Looking out over the hundreds of people in the crowd, she spotted her parents and siblings in the middle with all of her Grandparents, her Uncle Kurt and Uncle Blaine, and all of her honorary Aunts and Uncles. She looked to Finn who smiled and nodded confidently at her. She smiled as her Mom winked and then finally began her speech.

"Hi everyone. I know I should begin my speech with 'Hello fellow graduates" or some other formal greeting like that, but for those who know me, they know that's not who I am." Dani smiled as she earned a laugh from the crowd. "Standing before all of you, I can't help but think that there is someone out there who deserves this so much more than I do, but since Principal McEntire gave this honor to me, then I can only say how truly grateful I am to him and all of you. I know this is only 8th grade graduation, but I can't help feeling like this is the beginning of the rest of our lives. For me, that's what this year has been about, a new beginning. And as we go into high school, I can only imagine that it will be a new beginning for all of us students. I wish you all the strength, determination and willpower that you will need as we embark on this next journey. Best of luck to you all and I will see you next year."

Dani laughed at both her parents who were wiping tears from their eyes as she walked off stage. When the time came for the hats to be thrown in the air, and the ceremony ended, Dani ran to her family.

"You were amazing up their kiddo." Finn said as he picked her up and spun her around.

"I'm so proud of you sweetheart." Rachel said as she grabbed her daughter in a tight hug. "That speech was beautiful. I can't believe you wrote that all on your own."

Dani smiled gratefully at the two. "Well there was actually more that I had written down, but I didn't really want to read it out in front of all my peers. It's kind of more personal."

"Can we hear it?" Finn asked.

Dani nodded as the rest of her family gathered around her. "Thank you to my family for everything you have done for me over the last year. To all my grandparents and Aunts Uncles, thank you for welcoming me into your lives with open arms." She looked over to them, all of whom were trying their hardest not to cry again. "To my brother Chris, for being the most amazing little brother ever, even if you are a huge pain sometimes. To my baby sister Audrey, you amaze me everyday as you learn something new, even if it is learning how to put on my make-up." Dani threw a playful glare to her little brother and sister who giggled in return. "And finally to my parents, both of whom have inspired me in different ways. Mom, I idolized you even before I knew you were my Mom and I idolize you even more now. Daddy, you have helped me so much over the last year and I'm not ashamed to admit, you have become like my best friend. I love you all so much."

Finn and Rachel were now both visibly crying, and didn't bother to hide anything as they enveloped their daughter in a huge hug, feeling more proud than ever. When they pulled away Dani looked at her Dad. "Dad isn't there something you wanted to do?"

Finn looked at her, surprised. "Dani, I'm going to do it later." He assured her.

She looked around and saw everybody that she had ever cared about standing around her. "Well I think now is the perfect time, everyone we love is here." She gestured.

Finn knew she was right. Now was as good a time as any. "Ok." He agreed.

"Yes!" Dani shrieked as she ran over to stand with Chris and Audrey, out of the way of Finn and Rachel.

"What's this about?" Rachel inquired, clearly confused.

She noticed Finn bending down and her jaw dropped. "Finn...w-what are you doing?"

"Rachel Hudson..." Finn began.

"Finn..." She interrupted. "What?"

"Stop interrupting me." Finn said with a laugh. "As I was saying Rachel Hudson, we have been through a lot of ups and downs over the years, especially this past year. We finally have our family...our whole family back together where they belong and I know this is something we have talked about doing someday and I think it's the perfect time. So will you re-marry me?"

Rachel gasped and then with tears pooling in her eyes, and a bright beam on her face, she nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, a billion times yes!"

Everyone started to clap and cheer in happiness, but no one was as happy as Dani. She finally had everything she ever wanted, a loving family, friends, an amazing life. And she was getting to live out another one of her dreams to be a bridesmaid. What more could she ask for?

And there you have it, the end. I know cheesy ending, but those are sometimes the best kinds of endings. Thank you all so much for reading and to those who took the time to review...THANK YOU SO MUCH! I loved writing this story, and I can't wait to continue with my newest story, so hopefully I will see some of you there :)


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